Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- Utah lawmakers are debating election reforms, focusing on mail-in voting security and convenience.
- HB300 proposes in-person ballot return with ID, sparking cost concerns and logistical issues.
- Despite minimal audit errors, public confidence remains high, with photo ID requirements boosting election trust.
SALT LAKE CITY — After an initial flurry of public discussion, Utah lawmakers from the Senate and House spent the last four weeks debating the future of Utah's elections behind closed doors.
This week, Utahns will likely get an answer on how Republican lawmakers have decided to respond to audit allegations and campaign complaints from the contentious 2024 election cycle.
The negotiated compromise could look something like an "omnibus election bill" that seeks solutions to signature verification problems, mail delays and slow results, while maintaining easy access, according to Sen. Mike McKell, who has managed much of the bicameral back-and-forth.
"Let me be clear, one of the priorities for the Senate is to preserve vote by mail," McKell, R-Spanish Fork, told the Deseret News. "We want it to be convenient. But we will address those concerns in the bill. We will enhance security."
What's happening to Utah elections?
On the second day of the 2025 legislative session in January, House Republicans released their opening bid in an effort to transform the state's vote-by-mail system: HB300.
In its current form, the bill would require that after a ballot is mailed to a voter, it would need to be returned to poll workers in person with voter ID, unless a voter has applied for a mail-in ballot at the county clerk's office.
The bill, backed by House GOP leadership, quickly advanced through committee to join around two dozen other election-related bills being considered by lawmakers this session.
Other proposals include: replacing the state's voter roll management system, implementing strict deadlines for county clerk reporting on election night, and creating an entirely new office to oversee state elections.
But this initial rush of conversation about election reform was followed by 20 days of public silence as Senate lawmakers pumped the brakes on their lower-chamber counterparts and entered into talks about how to better balance convenience with security.
While McKell initially planned to put forward his own bill representing the upper chamber's election priorities, the Senate ultimately opted to work with the sponsor of HB300, Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salem, to produce a bill both chambers could stomach.
McKell said the Senate is also open to amending and passing other eye-catching election bills from the House side, like House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee's bill that would cancel the state's contract with ERIC, a multistate voter roll cleanup tool, and Rep. Doug Fiefia's bill that would push back deadlines to achieve same-day election results in Utah.
How will HB300 change?
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, has framed HB300 as a direct response to the extremely close 2nd Congressional District 2024 GOP primary, where several hundred ballots were rejected with a late postmark, and an October legislative audit that identified a roughly 4% error rate in signature verification on primary qualification packets.
"I think we learned from the audits," McKell said. "I think we learned where our weaknesses are and (where to) find ways to improve our elections."
The biggest issue Senate Republicans have with HB300 is "logistics, first and foremost," according to McKell.
HB300's current language would require voters to return their "remote ballots" at a standard polling place on Election Day or during a 14-day early voting period. Voters could also return their ballots at a drop box on Election Day or during a five-business-day window preceding Election Day.
County election officials would be required to station two poll workers at every drop box between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. during this period to ask for voter name and valid voter identification for all returned remote ballots.
Each county clerk would be required to have at least one fully staffed drop box in every municipality, with an additional drop box for every 10,000 active registered voters.
The additional equipment, staff and travel needs would cost Utah's 29 counties around $425,500 in one-time funds and $6 million in ongoing funds, a fiscal note provided by legislative analysts found.
"We heard back from counties that it would have added significant costs but not improved the security," McKell said.
The provisions being pushed by the Senate would allow all voters to return their ballots through the mail. But lawmakers may address concerns over the subjectivity of signature verification by requiring voters to include their government ID number, or a picture of their drivers license, with their ballot, as is done in some other states.
The final version of HB300 could also include requirements for county clerks to coordinate with the U.S. Postal Service "well in advance of the election" to ensure that ballots are postmarked and delivered in a timely fashion, McKell said.
Is there need for a change?
Voting via secure drop box is quicker, more dependable and the preferred method for around 65% of Utahns — including 77% in McKell's south Utah County district. However, voting by mail remains an important option for many, particularly in rural Utah, McKell said.
In a recent op-ed submitted to the Deseret News, Sutherland Institute's chief growth officer Derek Monson argued against HB300 in its current form because it seeks drastic change to a popular process based on minimal errors found by legislative audits.
"There is no compelling evidence suggesting that mail-in voting in Utah is circumventing security measures and risking election integrity in the state," Monson said.
A Sutherland Institute-Y2 Analytics survey conducted among nearly 1,000 registered Utah voters shortly before and after the 2024 general election found that 87% of Utahns were confident that their ballot would be, or had been, counted accurately.
Of the proposals then being considered by lawmakers, the change that produced the greatest net gain in election confidence was requiring photo ID when submitting a mail-in ballot.
The change that produced the greatest net decrease in confidence in election results was requiring voters to cast ballots only on Election Day
Other election reforms gaining traction at this late point in the session include a House bill that would publish the names of individuals that sign primary nomination packets and a Senate bill that would increase security measures regarding the signature-verification process for primary nomination packets.
A bill that would hand the lieutenant governor's election responsibilities to a newly appointed position has yet to be taken up for a committee hearing.
