By Secretary of State Phil McGrane
The Truth About Zombies
You’ve heard the ghost stories. The undead rising from their graves, lurking in shadows, and yes, even casting ballots from beyond.
It makes for a great Halloween tale, but here’s the reality: our dearly departed are resting peacefully in Idaho’s cemeteries, and you can rest easy too. Dead people are not voting in our elections.
How We Keep the Ghosts Out
Idaho’s elections have robust security safeguards in place. In fact, security is a central pillar of the 12 Principles of Idaho Elections. A key component? Vigilant voter roll maintenance.
Counties routinely conduct roll maintenance with federal and state agencies including the Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Department of Corrections, and other government databases. When someone passes away, the Bureau of Vital Statistics alerts us, and they’re promptly removed from voter rolls.
Did your neighbor move from another state or county? Our statewide voter registration system stays current across counties within the state, and we work with other states to provide updates so we can keep our rolls accurate.
Going the Extra Mile
Idaho became the first state in the nation to take executive action ensuring that only U.S. citizens can vote. With Governor Brad Little’s support, the Only Citizens Will Vote Act Executive Order prompted a comprehensive verification of all registered voters through the Idaho Transportation Department’s DMV, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) databases.
A Different Kind of Zombie
There’s another type of ghost on voter rolls: those who voted years ago but haven’t visited the polls since. Idaho law requires biennial statewide list maintenance and review. Earlier this year, that resulted in 144,121 voter records being removed or updated statewide due to inactivity, change of address, or ineligibility.
So, while ghosts may roam in legend, our voter rolls are firmly rooted in reality.
Call us ghostbusters, vampire slayers, or demon hunters, the point is, we’re on it. And you can be confident that in Idaho, it’s the living, and only the living, who vote.
Phil McGrane
About Phil McGrane
Phil McGrane was elected Idaho’s twenty-eighth Secretary of State and took office on January 2, 2023. McGrane served as elected Clerk of Ada County from 2019-2022. McGrane holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a juris doctorate, and a Master of Public Administration. As a fourth-generation Idahoan, Phil has dedicated his career to making elections in the state of Idaho accessible, secure and transparent.
