Montana Secretary of State Jacobson highlights business filings, election training and limits of investigatory authority

Secretary of State Christy Jacobson told the Senate State Administration and Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 10 that her office handled a record number of business filings and ran a successful 2024 election year while expanding outreach and security training for counties.

Jacobson said the office now lists about 321,000 businesses in Montana and that the state saw record new business formations—about 60,000 in 2023 and about 64,000 in 2024. She said the office waived annual filing fees for roughly 320,000 businesses in 2024 and again for 2025, and that staff reductions and workflow changes were intended to make filings easier.

The update matters because the Secretary of State’s office administers statewide elections and maintains the statewide business and administrative records that many legislators use for policy and constituent services. Jacobson said the office expanded post‑election audit authority under recent law, coordinated third‑party security assessments across all 56 counties and launched a voter outreach and county training video series to improve county election administration.

Jacobson introduced senior staff who she said led those efforts: Deputy Secretary Angela Nunn, Chief Legal Counsel Austin James, attorneys Clay Leland and others, Chief People Officer Julie Lake, operations manager Lisa Reeblinger, office manager Susan Ames, communications director Richie Melby and senior advisor Keith Regier. She credited the team for implementing a new election system and for outreach projects that included recruiting more than 500 veterans to serve as poll workers and conducting a youth vote program required by Montana statute.

Committee members pressed Jacobson on the office’s investigative authority. Jacobson said the Secretary of State’s office does not have authority to conduct criminal investigations into alleged election crimes; instead, she said, complaints are referred to the Commissioner of Political Practices, local law enforcement or the Attorney General’s Office depending on the nature of the allegation. She told the committee the office does, however, have responsibilities to verify registrants and to validate information that enters the election system prior to certification.

Senator Vance asked Jacobson to provide the committee an organizational chart with directors’ names and contact information; Jacobson agreed to provide that information and, at another senator’s request, to include staff photographs on the chart. Jacobson also confirmed that the office will provide the committee with the county security assessment summaries and other materials cited during her remarks.

Less critical details: Jacobson said the office certified the 2024 general election, held the electoral college meeting in December in the old Supreme Court chamber, and reported 450 candidates filed with the office for the most recent election cycle. She thanked county election officials for completing third‑party security assessments and said the office is addressing issues counties flagged in those reviews.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; members directed staff to accept Jacobson’s materials into the committee record and requested the org chart and presentation slides for distribution to members.