Montana Public Radio · Clayton Murphy · September 4, 2026
In a 10-1 bipartisan vote, legislators agreed they need to know what voter information Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen sent to the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal agency requested unredacted state voter rolls in 2025 to review.
The State Administration and Veterans Affairs interim committee approved the subpoena on Wednesday. Senator Theresa Manzella, a Republican from Hamilton, is chair of the committee.
“It's imperative that the three branches of government work together," Manzella said. "But ultimately, it is the Legislature that is tasked with safeguarding and protecting our elections.”
According to the committee, the Secretary of State has failed multiple times to provide the information they’ve requested.
And it’s not just state officials who’ve made requests. Keegan Nashan is a restaurant server from Livingston. She and another private citizen asked the Secretary of State what info of theirs was shared with the DOJ.
"I just couldn't stand it. That's the cornerstone of democracy, our voting systems," Nashan said.
The public information request showed that Nashan’s full name, date of birth, several addresses, her voting district and a couple of unclear sets of numbers were released to the federal government.
The DOJ requested that states include voters’ drivers license numbers and the last four digits of social security numbers. Jacobsen said that she fully complied with the DOJ. But her office also said that they didn’t share those socials or drivers license numbers.
Once the subpoena is served, the Secretary of State will have 10 days to either comply or take the issue to court. The office has yet to respond to requests for comment.