Idaho shares voter-roll and food-stamp information with the feds. What we know

Carolyn Komatsoulis, The Idaho Statesman on Dec 1, 2025

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The Trump administration wanted to prove that large numbers of undocumented immigrants were voting. So in September, the Department of Justice asked states for voter roll data.

That drew concerns about privacy and overreach. In some states, like Nebraska, voters took the issue to courts. Many states decided to turn over information that did not include personal data like Social Security numbers. Idaho took the latter route.

“After consulting with the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, we will be sharing a copy of our publicly available file, which does not contain any personally identifiable information,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said in a Sept. 22 letter to the Justice Department that touted Idaho’s efforts against immigrants voting. “We welcome a dialogue with your office to continue to discuss the broader efforts to ensure the accuracy of Idaho’s voter rolls.”

Not every state has received the requests. But of the dozens that have, only Wyoming and Indiana turned over sensitive information, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The Ada County Clerk’s Office recently audited the 2020 and 2024 elections, according to Ada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lauren Montague. Just under 40 new investigations were referred to the Sheriff’s Office, which made eight arrests. The remaining cases were unfounded, declined for prosecution or are still under review or under investigation, Montague said Oct. 24 in an email to news outlets.

Of those arrests, seven were people with felony convictions who had not yet had their voting rights restored. The eighth was the only immigrant: someone who was legally allowed to be in the U.S. but wasn’t allowed to vote.

Law-enforcement officers have arrested four people since that email was sent, Montague told the Statesman on Wednesday, Nov. 26. It is unclear if any of those people were noncitizens.

Canyon County has audited the 2024 and 2025 elections and worked with the Idaho State Police on other cases, according to Clerk Rick Hogaboam. In 2025, Hogaboam said, he has referred 10 cases to the Canyon County Prosecutor and Sheriff’s Office, none of which involved noncitizens voting.

Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell referred the Statesman to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. That office’s spokesperson, Jason Densley, told the Statesman by email that the office doesn’t comment on any pending investigations.

Noncitizen voting is rare, according to NPR. It’s also rare in Idaho, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.

“Our mission in Ada County is to ensure that everyone eligible to vote can exercise their constitutional right in a safe and secure manner,” Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple said in the Oct. 24 email. “We take voter eligibility very seriously, and our office is dedicated to tirelessly ensuring that only those eligible to vote have the opportunity to cast their ballot.”

Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre declined to comment when asked if the department was happy with Idaho’s response.

Election integrity has been a mainstay of recent Idaho legislative sessions, though interest tapered off after President Donald Trump took office. McGrane previously told the Statesman that Idaho’s elections are safe.

Idaho shares personal data of food-stamp recipients

But this isn’t the only time Idaho’s administration has shared information with the federal government at its request.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare shared personal data from food-stamp recipients to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to Boise State Public Radio.

Officials turned over Social Security numbers, names, addresses, income and expense data, according to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesperson AJ McWhorter. The data included an indicator if the department had citizenship information. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for food stamps, according to McWhorter.

Outside of Idaho, officials have warned that the government wants the data to help with its immigration priorities, like mass deportations.

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