By Secretary of State Phil McGrane
Highlights from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office
September 25, 2026
The Freedom to Disagree
What’s more American than disagreeing? Sometimes it feels like this moment in our history is uniquely divisive, and it’s easy to forget just how much disagreement and division have shaped the American story. We’ve endured a civil war, fought bitterly over civil rights, filled our streets with protests over war and social change, and argued over the direction of our country since the earliest days of the republic. In fact, it was our grievances with the British Crown meddling in our affairs and levying hefty taxes that led us to fight for independence in the first place. Arguing, pushing back, and insisting on being heard is part of our legacy.
That history, and the way we disagree today, has been on my mind a lot lately. It’s what led me to join with partners at the University of Idaho and Boise State to organize the first-ever Idaho Free Speech Summit, coming to Boise on October 13th. The Summit will focus on free speech, civil discourse, and the healthy exchange of ideas.
The problem isn’t that we disagree.
If we all agreed on everything all the time, life would be pretty boring. We don’t even always agree with everyone in our own homes. Disagreement is part of life, whether it’s around the dinner table, in our communities, or in the halls of government. What matters is how we go about it.
The First Amendment protects our right to speak our minds, including when others disagree with what we have to say. Exercising that freedom also means making room for others to do the same. To listen. To debate. To push back. And to respect someone else’s right to speak. We don’t have to learn how to agree. We have to remember how to disagree well.
In a country where the right to speak up is so fundamental, I thought it was time for us to speak up about it. That’s what the Idaho Free Speech Summit is about.
On Tuesday, October 13, we’re bringing together people from across the political, legal, academic, and civic spectrum to wrestle with some important questions about free speech and how we disagree with one another.
I’m especially pleased that Utah Governor Spencer Cox will join us as our keynote speaker. Governor Cox has made civil discourse the focus of his national Disagree Better initiative, and he’ll share his perspective on how Americans can disagree without abandoning strongly held beliefs, a theme he explores in his new book, Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt.
The full-day Summit is free to attend, with sessions at the Idaho State Capitol and lunch included for full-day attendees. I’m grateful to the University of Idaho College of Law and Boise State University’s Institute for Advancing American Values for partnering with me to make this valuable discourse possible.
We don’t have to learn to agree. That’s a useless endeavor.
Yet, as stewards and inheritors of this incredible American experiment, we do have to remember how to disagree, how to listen, and how to preserve the freedoms that allow a republic like ours to endure.
I hope you’ll join us on October 13th and help make this the first of many years we come together to exchange ideas and strengthen our civic culture here in Idaho.
Learn more and register at FreeSpeechIdaho.com.
Phil McGrane
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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.
