Mail-in voting legislation passes the House, but with major changes

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that seeks to make major changes to Utah’s mail-in voting process is moving forward after being passed by the Utah House Tuesday afternoon.

The substitute that was advanced is a watered-down version of the original proposal that would have required voters to turn in their ballots in person so their identity could be verified.

 

Related: New bill aims to require voters opt-in to receive a mail-in ballot

Sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salt Lake City, introduced a new version of HB300, which says that instead of having to show a photo ID, voters would only have to write the last four digits of their Utah driver’s license or other valid state ID. 

If people do not have something like a driver’s license, this bill would create a process for them to apply for a state photo ID.

“What we are trying to do here is simply improve the security of our elections,” Burton said. “We know that vote-by-mail is popular, but this bill simply allows us to improve the security of our elections so that there is more voter confidence in the process.”

Other changes to the mail-in voting bill

Some other notable changes to the bill include requiring the ballots to be in the county clerk’s possession by 8:00 p.m. on election night in order to be counted.

Another change is that voters would need to opt into mail-in voting to receive a ballot. The bill says that selection would remain “in effect for eight years unless the voter takes certain action that results in termination of the request or, in 2028 or later, fails to vote in a regular general election.”

These changes come after pushback to the original bill that would have virtually eliminated mail-in voting, because it would have required voters to drop off their ballots in person at a polling place or drop box where their IDs could be verified. Burton said that after working closely with county clerks, they like this new proposal much better than the original, though some are still concerned with its implementation.

“For those out there who say the Legislature doesn’t listen, this bill is a prime example of the Legislature listening to the people, coming together with all parties and working to come up with good, common sense policy that provides for election integrity and security,” said Rep. Jason Thompson, R-Salt Lake City.

Mail-in voting bill passes

The House passed the bill by a vote of 57 to 15, mostly along party lines. The only Republican to vote against the bill was Rep. James Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville.

House Democrats released a statement, saying these changes will create confusion for voters, county clerks and post offices across the state.

If passed in its current state, the law would be enacted in 2028. Burton said this will give county clerks time to inform voters of the changes to the vote-by-mail process.

The bill now goes to the Utah Senate.