Secretary of State seeks ongoing voter guide funding, double‑fill deputy hire and IT subscriptions

Christopher Lahoset, Legislative Services Office budget analyst, presented the Secretary of State’s budget and enhancement requests to the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee and summarized items including a voter guide, software subscriptions and a double‑fill deputy business director request.

Lahoset said the office has 35.5 authorized full‑time positions and that the agency’s five‑year average fill rate is about 93%. He noted a one‑time $10 million appropriation in fiscal year 2024 for an elections system upgrade; about $2.5 million of that $10 million has been spent and the remainder was reappropriated into FY25.

The Secretary’s office requested $400,000 ongoing from the General Fund to design, print and mail a voter guide to Idaho households; Lahoset corrected a typographical point in the budget book to show estimated FY26 costs of $300,000 for mailing and $100,000 for printing. The office also asked for one‑time funding to double‑fill the deputy business director position so a successor can train alongside the incumbent before the incumbent’s 2026 retirement. That double‑fill does not increase headcount permanently, Lahoset said.

Other requests included $287,100 ongoing to cover software‑as‑a‑service costs for new campaign finance and lobbyist systems and $26,000 one‑time to cover a federal upgrade fee to access a national driver’s license data source used to validate voter registration (Lahoset described that $26,000 as a one‑time federal upgrade assessment). The office also requested $20,000 ongoing for IT training, periodic funding for the Idaho Blue Book and constitution publications, additional conference funding for the Uniform Law Commission commissioners housed within the office, funding to offset higher postage rates, and one‑time replacement of monitors, docking stations and laptops.

Secretary Phil McGrane told the committee his principal initiative has been a voter guide and cited polling showing demand for mailed voter information. McGrane outlined recent IT work the office has funded with the earlier one‑time appropriation: a campaign finance upgrade, a lobbyist reporting system and the VoteIdaho website. He said the office has spent about $2.9 million of the $10 million election‑upgrade appropriation and that procurement for a core election management system is in progress with bids ranging roughly from $5.6 million to $9.4 million. He said the office used a competitive RFP process for the vendor selection.

Lawmakers asked why the DMV access fee was one‑time; McGrane said the federal system charged a one‑time upgrade fee but the office will continue to pay an ongoing subscription of roughly $1,100 quarterly. Representatives also asked why the voter guide funding would be requested each year; McGrane explained the fiscal year timing of primary and general elections means an ongoing annual appropriation makes the guide available for both elections.

Committee members sought confirmation on the office’s revenue‑generating business filings activity; McGrane said the office handled over 800,000 business filings last year and contributed net revenue to the general fund. Several members asked about creating a dedicated fund for filings; McGrane said that is a separate policy question for the Legislature.