House committee advances SB 10 after adopting amendment that tightens voter-list maintenance and authorizes interstate data sharing

The House Elections and Apportionment Committee advanced Senate Bill 10 as amended, adopting a package of changes that require county voter registration offices to conduct list-maintenance actions within 48 hours of receiving documentation that triggers an update and direct the Secretary of State to seek agreements with other states to compare voter-registration lists.

Representative Trisha Culp, sponsor of amendment number 10, told the committee the amendment "adds language in the second section of the bill that would require the local voter registration office to clean up and conduct a voter list maintenance within 48 hours of receiving information that the voter list would require that maintenance activity." She said the amendment removes three sections of the bill and replaces them with two new sections of code.

The amendment specifies that counties must mail a notice to any registered voter who has not cast a ballot in the two most recent general elections, and it directs the Secretary of State to "reach out to their counterparts in other states" to propose agreements for identifying voters who may be registered in multiple states. The amendment also "prohibit[s] the sale or sharing of that data or information" with non-election officials, Culp said.

Committee members debated the timing and practical effects. "State law already requires counties to regularly perform list maintenance and confirm that they've completed the work twice a year," Representative Jason Arrington said, asking why the change was needed. Representative Culp responded that the amendment simply makes the timing explicit so counties act "in a timely manner" when they receive information from sources such as county health departments.

Several members raised concerns about false matches from interstate data-sharing and the accuracy of commercially available matching databases. Representative Boyd referenced the Kansas "Crosscheck" system and recalled that it produced many false positives when matches relied only on first name, last name and birth date. Representative Culp said crosschecks would require more detailed follow-up and that states would follow their existing maintenance procedures if duplicates were identified.

Representative Prior questioned whether added 48‑hour requirements would duplicate county work or add costs; Culp said the state’s mailings and county follow-up were complementary "voter protection" measures and that the amendment clarifies that steps should happen "within 48 hours" upon receipt of documentation.

The committee adopted amendment number 10 by roll call, 8 to 4, and later approved the amended bill on a roll call of 9 to 4. Several other proposed amendments to Senate Bill 10 were considered and failed by roll call, and one amendment (adding the consular report of birth abroad as proof of citizenship) was accepted by consent.

Discussion vs. decision: the committee record shows deliberations about implementation, guardrails against false positives, and county resource concerns; the formal decisions recorded were the committee’s adoption of amendment 10 (8–4) and the committee’s vote to pass SB 10 as amended (9–4).