Utah lawmakers vote down eventual paper signature-gathering ban — for now

SALT LAKE CITY — A committee of Utah lawmakers voted against approving a bill that would eventually phase out gathering signatures on paper in local elections.

The bill was debated Wednesday morning by members of the Government Operations Interim Committee, but the proposal failed to advance.

 

The text of the current bill requires the state to move to electronic signature gathering by 2030. It also requires state-approved devices, like a tablet or a phone, to scan driver’s licenses or other approved IDs of those who offer their signatures for a political candidate, ballot initiative, or referendum.

Those devices would have to be able to operate while not connected to the internet or cellular data by 2028.

The goals for, and the concerns about electronic signature-gathering bill

During Wednesday’s hearing, Rep. Paul Cutler, R-Centerville, said the goal of the bill is to signal the state is shifting to a future of electronic signature gathering.

“To make it faster, to make it more secure, and know that this person really is a valid member of the party and that it’s valid that they sign an initiative,” Cutler said.

According to Ryan Cowley, Utah director of elections, state law already allows candidates to gather signatures on an approved electronic device if they want. But, according to his knowledge, no candidates have actually done this yet. 

That was one of the main reasons Rep. Grant Amjad Miller, D-Salt Lake City, voiced concerns with the current bill language.

“It’s sunsetted in five years – without any proof of concept, at all, that the electronic collection even works I find problematic,” Miller said. “That doesn’t mean that I oppose this, but I would like to see a little bit more work on this.”

Other lawmakers expressed concerns about cybersecurity and technical challenges as well as the difficulty some people would face if they don’t have access to the required devices to conduct signature gathering.

“There will be a whole population of folks who won’t be able to participate in this,” said Rep. Mike Petersen, R-North Logan.

Ultimately, lawmakers on the committee voted not to pass the bill and instead moved on to the next agenda item.

What’s next for electronic signature-gathering in Utah?

However, the bill isn’t necessarily dead. Lawmakers said they would keep working on it, and the proposal could resurface in the 2026 general session, which begins in January. Cutler indicated the details of the bill could change, such as the date by which the state would need to transition entirely to electronic signature gathering.

“We could pick a different date than 2030,” Cutler said. “You could pick 2032, or if you really like Olympics, you could pick 2034. But the intent is to signal that, long term, this is the direction the state is going.”

Related reading:

• Auditors present sweeping reports of Utah’s signature verification system
• Legislative audit finds signature errors for Cox, Brown, Curtis but says ballot access requirements met