Secretary of State Seeks Ongoing Funding for Voter Guide, Software Subscriptions and IT Upgrades

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee reviewed the Secretary of State's FY26 enhancement requests, which include an ongoing appropriation to fund a statewide voter guide, increased software subscription budgets, a one‑time double‑fill for leadership succession and routine IT replacements.

Analyst Christopher Lahoset reviewed the office's structure and recent budget activity, noting the office's authorized 35.5 full‑time positions (about a 93–96% utilization historically) and the $10,000,000 one‑time appropriation previously approved for an election systems upgrade; about $2.5 million of that $10 million has been spent and the remainder reappropriated into FY25 for ongoing projects. Lahoset said FY26 requests include an ongoing $400,000 appropriation to design, print and mail a voter guide to all Idaho households (estimated at $300,000 for mailing and $100,000 printing), $287,100 ongoing for software as a service subscriptions (campaign finance and lobbyist software) and a $26,000 one‑time payment to cover a federal upgrade fee for DMV data access.

Secretary Phil McGrane said a voter guide has been his "number 1 policy initiative" and that primary and general election timing and fiscal-year boundaries make an annual appropriation practical: "There’s a strong demand for it," McGrane said, noting polls and public feedback calling for accessible candidate information and sample ballots.

Other enhancement requests include funding for ongoing IT training ($20,000), periodic production of the Idaho Blue Book and Constitution publications, additional conference/travel funding for the Commission on Uniform Laws, postage inflation adjustments (USPS increased first-class postage from 60¢ to 73¢ since 2022) and one‑time replacement of monitors, docking stations and 10 laptops. The office also requested a one‑time double‑fill for its deputy business director to ensure a smooth transition when the current deputy retires in 2026; Lahoset's presentation noted the request does not increase the FTP cap.

Secretary McGrane described the office as revenue-generating: he reported the filings workload (about 800,000 business filings last year) and noted the office historically deposits more revenue into the General Fund than it spends. He also described progress on IT projects paid from the earlier one‑time appropriation: new campaign finance and lobbyist systems and the VoteIdaho website, with an RFP issued for a new election management system that the office is currently evaluating.

Committee members sought clarifications about the one‑time $26,000 DMV fee and the frequency of the voter guide; the secretary and analyst explained the $26,000 is a one‑time federal upgrade fee and that ongoing quarterly subscription fees to the DMV data service would continue. The committee asked for additional detail as it considers creating an ongoing appropriation for the voter guide and other recurring needs.