October 23, 2026

By: Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane

Expressing our opinions has never been easier. We have more ways to make our voices heard, fewer barriers to communication, and the world’s knowledge quite literally at our fingertips.

And yet.

We seem to be losing the ability to do something remarkably simple: disagree with one another. We can broadcast our opinions to the world in an instant, but struggle to sit across from someone who sees things differently. We have no shortage of opportunities to speak, but seem increasingly uncomfortable with the very conversations that might challenge our thinking.

This was one of many challenges we discussed last week at the inaugural Idaho Free Speech Summit, which we hosted in partnership with the University of Idaho College of Law and Boise State University’s Institute for Advancing American Values. Our goal was simple: put people with different views in the same room and have them talk to, and listen to, each other.

We heard from legislators navigating partisan divides, students struggling to engage face-to-face in an increasingly online world, former federal regulators discussing the unintended consequences of regulating speech, and grassroots media working to make their voices heard. One thing that became clear throughout the day was that though our rights and ideals have endured centuries of challenges, preserving them requires active effort from all of us.

As Americans, we seem to widely agree that the political temperature is rising, and our skills for handling it are dwindling. That concern came to the forefront as I sat down with Governor Spencer Cox of Utah for a one-on-one discussion. Just the night before, I read a sobering report in the New York Times about the threats of violence directed at elected officials in America. It’s a reality that Governor Cox is all too familiar with. He shared the experience of receiving the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination as it unfolded in Utah and the chilling effect it has had on free speech.

Yet, despite that experience and the fact that he himself is the target of vitriol, Governor Cox is hopeful. He pointed to a large but quiet segment of the population that is exhausted by the rhetoric. There is a hunger for a better way. What we lack, he offered, are the skills to disagree well. It’s the idea behind his nationwide Disagree Better initiative. He pleaded for more architects and fewer arsonists, for us to work on building relationships and finding solutions rather than tearing one another down.

So what can you and I do? I think we can start by getting a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable. That means being willing to have difficult conversations, listening to people we disagree with, and recognizing that we don’t have to change someone’s mind to learn something from them. It means building relationships that are strong enough to withstand disagreement.

This was the first of what I hope will become an annual Free Speech Summit. There’s so much more to discuss, and even more to learn. I’m grateful to everyone who filled the room, brought their perspectives to the conversation, and perhaps most importantly, came willing to listen.

Phil McGrane

ABOUT SECRETARY 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.