A bipartisan majority on the Montana State Administration and Veterans Affairs Committee voted 10-1 on Wednesday to compel Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to testify regarding the sharing of voter registry information with the U.S. Department of Justice, according to reports from Montana Free Press.
The subpoena targets a controversial data handoff that has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers across the political spectrum. The committee’s action marks a significant escalation in oversight efforts concerning how state election officials interact with federal authorities seeking access to sensitive voter records.
Federal Requests Spark Oversight
The investigation centers on requests made by the Justice Department for unredacted information about registered voters in Montana during 2025. According to emails from July 2025, federal officials stated they required the data to “facilitate a review for noncitizens and dead voters.”, as first reported by the Montana Free Press
This request is part of a broader national effort by the Trump administration’s Justice Department to obtain similar voter data from state election offices across the country. Federal officials have attempted to secure unredacted voter information from 48 states over the past year, raising questions among state legislators about privacy protections and the scope of federal authority.
Montana Free Press obtained records through a public information request that detailed both the Justice Department’s demands and Secretary Jacobsen’s responses. Those documents formed the basis for the committee’s decision to issue the subpoena.
Committee Tensions Mount
The push for transparency has been driven largely by Rep. Kelly Kortum, D-Bozeman, who requested that Secretary Jacobsen appear before the committee. Kortum’s inquiries began in January, well before the committee vote last week.
Kortum expressed concern that failure to secure testimony could undermine the committee’s constitutional oversight responsibilities. “I’m worried that should this evasion succeed, that it will kind of draw into question our job here as the oversight committee,” Kortum said, according to Montana Free Press.
The 10-1 vote reflects broad bipartisan support for examining how state election data is shared with federal agencies. Only one member dissented from the decision to compel testimony from the Secretary of State’s office.
National Context
Montana’s situation mirrors developments in other states where election officials have faced pressure from federal prosecutors seeking voter roll information. The Justice Department has framed these requests as necessary for enforcing federal election laws and preventing voting irregularities.
However, some state officials and privacy advocates have raised concerns about the breadth of data being requested and whether such information should be shared without redactions. The debate touches on broader tensions between state sovereignty and federal enforcement priorities under the current administration.
The seven or eight months that passed between Kortum’s initial requests and the committee’s vote suggest that securing cooperation from the Secretary of State’s office proved difficult. Lawmakers viewed the subpoena as a necessary tool to ensure accountability.
What Comes Next
Secretary Jacobsen will now be required to appear before the committee and provide information related to the Justice Department’s data requests. The timing and scope of that testimony remain to be determined by committee leadership.
As Montana approaches its 2026 primary election on June 2 and general election on November 3, questions about voter data privacy and federal-state relations are likely to remain prominent in political discourse. Lawmakers from both parties have signaled interest in ensuring that state election administration maintains appropriate boundaries with federal investigations.
The outcome of this oversight effort could influence how Montana handles similar requests in the future and may set precedents for other states grappling with comparable situations.
