House State Administration committee concurs on study of voter-list maintenance (SJ 35)

Sen. Theresa Manzella introduced Senate Joint Resolution 35 on behalf of the north end of the Bitterroot Valley, asking the House State Administration committee to approve a legislative study of voter-list maintenance and integrity.

"I bring for your consideration today Senate Joint Resolution 35," Manzella said, describing a multi-year effort by citizen groups who have purchased voter rolls and reviewed them for anomalies. "You can buy a subscription for $5,000, an annual subscription, and we bought those voter rolls, and we have been since 2020 buying them annually and evaluating the lists." She cited common issues such as duplicate names, married-name changes and registrants who have died.

Committee members pressed for specifics. Rep. Bennett asked whether the Real ID implementation would affect the study; Manzella said Real ID is the most comprehensive identification process and noted a separate bill using the Real ID process is moving to the governor. Rep. Lee asked whether the group's work had produced confirmed instances of double voting; Manzella said the research is ongoing and that the group is trying to confirm roughly "about 30 deceased voters have voted," a figure she described as provisional and under further investigation.

Members also asked about coordination between state and county authorities. Rep. Byrne asked how the state office and county clerks interact regarding the voter rolls; Manzella said county clerks maintain local rolls while the Secretary of State oversees them under Title 2, and she described that jurisdictional overlap as "murky." Manzella suggested technical options — including blockchain — as a way to record changes with timestamps and additional accountability.

On data sources for removing deceased registrants, Manzella said local obituaries, funeral homes and cooperation with election administrators are used but acknowledged gaps when people move out of state. She told the committee there is no current requirement she is aware of that death certificates be automatically communicated to county clerks, and suggested interstate compacts or a federal database as possible remedies.

In closing, Manzella recounted an example she called illustrative of vulnerabilities in registration pathways: she said an organization sent flyers with a QR code that directed people to overseas (UOCAVA) registration, and a local election director redirected those registrations to the regular registration process to verify citizenship. "It took them to a place where they were encouraged to register as overseas voters," Manzella said, adding that the incident showed where verification could fail.

The committee received no proponents, opponents or informational witnesses in the room or online. After discussion, Rep. Love moved that SJ 35 "be concurred in." The committee conducted a voice vote; the clerk recorded several proxy ayes for Representative Schubert, Chair Darling and Vice Chair Bertoglio, and the chair announced the motion passed. The committee closed executive action on SJ 35 and adjourned.

Rep. Love was designated by Manzella to carry the resolution if it advances further.