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Committee sends voter-roll maintenance bill to the floor with due-pass recommendation
Summary
House Bill 339 would consolidate and codify authorities for the Secretary of State to verify voter registration accuracy using state agency data and federal SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) checks; the Secretary of State testified that the bill codifies practices already in use and stressed cybersecurity protections.
The House State Affairs Committee voted to send House Bill 339 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill would consolidate existing authorities for the Secretary of State to maintain accurate voter registration rolls and would explicitly authorize data-sharing with state agencies and selected federal systems to verify eligibility.
Representative Brandon Mitchell, R-District 6, said the bill is intended to ensure only eligible citizens may vote and to put routine verification practices into statute. The draft names agencies such as the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the Idaho Transportation Department and the Department of Corrections as sources to verify whether registrants are alive, resident in Idaho or incarcerated. The bill also adds the Department of Homeland Security SAVE database (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) to the list of checks referenced in statute.
Phil McGrane, Idaho Secretary of State, testified the bill ‘‘codifies what we are already doing’’ and noted the office’s existing partnerships and cybersecurity protections. He told the committee his office worked with Idaho State Police, ITD and Homeland Security last year to vet the voter rolls in response to an executive order and said the Secretary of State’s office has "the highest level of cybersecurity protection in the state" and coordinates with CISA.
Committee action: Representative Dygert moved to send House Bill 339 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.
What’s next: HB339 will be considered by the full House. The Secretary of State said the bill formalizes data-sharing practices and annual reporting requirements the office already follows.
