By Secretary of State Phil McGrane
Highlights from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office
October 30, 2026
The Dead Don’t Tell Tales (But Their Records Do)
In a season of ghost stories, I have one for you. Deep within the federal government sits a database with a rather ominous name: the Death Master File. It holds the records of Americans who have passed away, and for election officials, some of the best clues to the ghosts that linger on our voter rolls.
The name may sound like something out of a ghost story, but the Death Master File serves a very real purpose. When an Idaho voter passes away here at home, our partnership with Vital Statistics helps us identify their death and update our records. But when someone dies beyond Idaho’s borders, the trail can be harder to follow. That’s where the Death Master File comes in. Recent improvements to the federal SAVE system give us access to the Death Master File to identify records that might otherwise linger on our rolls.
Following the Clues
Last Halloween, in this newsletter, I pulled back the curtain on our efforts to combat zombie voters. Routine work with partner agencies like Vital Statistics and the Department of Corrections, paired with our regular cleanups of inactive records, keeps Idaho’s voter rolls clean and accurate.
But ghosts aren’t the only things we’re looking for. Keeping Idaho’s voter rolls accurate also means verifying that registered voters are eligible to participate. Following Governor Brad Little‘s 2024 executive order, the Only Citizens Will Vote Act, Idaho launched a comprehensive review of our voter records. The federal SAVE system was a key part of that effort.
This week, I wrote about that experience in an opinion piece the Wall Street Journal published. In it, I describe how Idaho used the tools available, where good, old-fashioned investigative follow-up was essential, and how other states can take the same approach. We’ve advocated for improvements to SAVE, and we’ve been heard.
A database doesn’t tell the full tale. It points us toward the records that deserve a closer look. The rest takes the intrepid work of election officials, following the clues, checking the facts, and making sure every eligible voter is accounted for.
Keeping Idaho Elections Phantom-Free
Like most ghost stories, what seems frightening at first becomes a lot less mysterious when you shine a light on it. Behind the scenes, Idaho’s election officials are doing the careful work of keeping our voter rolls accurate. It’s not particularly spooky, but it’s how ghosts remain the stuff of stories, and eligible voters can cast their ballots with confidence.
Happy Halloween!
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.
