Secretary of State details FY27 budget, defends voter-roll work and warns of rising ballot-publication costs
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Summary
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins told the budget committee his office removed over 200,000 ineligible names from voter rolls, defended refusing to share PII without court orders, and urged funding to cover potentially large 2026 ballot‑printing bills; he also sought contingency funds if a $5 business‑services fee sunset isn’t extended.
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins testified to the House special committee on Tuesday, laying out the Office of the Secretary of State’s FY27 priorities and asking the panel to consider contingency funding for election and business‑service operations.
Hoskins told lawmakers his office processed more than 135,000 business filings this year and “has served over 1,500,000 Missourians and Missouri businesses across all service areas.” On voter‑roll maintenance he said the office has “been able to take off, to over 200,000 ineligible voters off the voter rolls. That includes over 50,000 deceased voters.” He said the work is ongoing and that a separate internal investigation is still finalizing exact counts for ballots that may have been cast in connection with deceased registrations.
On requests from federal entities for voter information, Hoskins said the office has supplied only publicly accessible voter‑roll information and that "state law does not allow us to share that PII" absent a court order. "It will not be shared without a court order," he added, telling the committee that any compelled disclosure would be made known to the General Assembly.
Hoskins described several priorities in his written budget: continuing to modernize voter‑facing tools (he highlighted showmowvotes.com), supporting local election authorities’ voter‑roll maintenance, and defending against daily cyber threats to business‑services systems and voter registration data. He also flagged investor‑protection work — a securities division public education campaign and enforcement staff — and urged continued support for the Missouri State Archives after staff responded to a recent roof leak that endangered historical records.
Lawmakers questioned Hoskins on procedures for removing registrations flagged through DMV interactions, the SAVE cross‑check process, and how his office coordinates with county clerks. Hoskins said the office uses multiple data sources (Social Security Administration, Department of Revenue, local-obituary monitoring and county clerks’ reports) to maintain the rolls and noted that perfect accuracy is impossible because of daily life changes.
The secretary also asked the committee to consider a contingency appropriation tied to a narrow funding question: his office is seeking a legislative extension of a $5 business‑services fee that funds IT support for business filings. Hoskins said the administration’s ask includes an NDI to backfill his IT budget “in case the legislature does not pass that [sunset extension] bill.” The committee was told that House Bill 2,125 would extend that fee; Hoskins and staff said they prefer the fee extended but asked for a GR fallback if it is not.
Finally, Hoskins warned the committee he had asked for a substantial printing appropriation for 2026 ballot materials because Missouri’s constitution requires publication of full text of statewide ballot measures in local newspapers. With more than 140 petitions circulating and at least four certified amendments for 2026, he said the cost could run well above current estimates should a very long referendum appear on the ballot.
What’s next: The committee requested statutory citations and line‑item detail for the special funds Hoskins referenced and followed up on the status of the internal voter‑roll investigation. Hoskins said his office will publish final investigation results after due diligence is complete.
