SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s universal mail-in voting system could be the first casualty of a Republican overhaul of the state’s election operations as lawmakers look to improve efficiency and trust in the system.
The state’s Republican-controlled House passed a bill in a 57-15 vote Tuesday that would require Utah voters to opt in to receive their ballots in the mail, meaning they would no longer get them automatically. Starting next year, voters who want to return their ballots by mail or to a drop box would need to include the last four digits of their drivers license or state ID number.
The proposal would dramatically change the voting system in one of just eight states — and the only led by Republicans — that allows all elections to be conducted by mail without a need to opt in.
“We are in the same category as Washington, California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Hawaii and Vermont. As a conservative state, that is not a list I am proud to be part of,” House Speaker Mike Schultz said.
The bill now heads to the Senate, whose Republican leaders had a hand in negotiating the current version. Senate President Stuart Adams said he is happy with the result.
An earlier version required voters to make an in-person appearance and show ID if they wanted to return their ballots in the mail. Senate leaders said they would not support a proposal making mail-in voting that difficult.
“We want voting as easy as possible without cheating, but we also wanted to make sure that we enhanced security,” Sen. Mike McKell said of the compromise version that passed the House.
Republicans have sent their base mixed signals about mail-in voting since President Donald Trump falsely claimed the system was plagued with fraud to explain away his 2020 election loss. Trump continued to sow distrust even as his campaign team and the Republican National Committee began encouraging Republicans to vote by mail in the 2024 race to avoid giving Democrats an edge.
Some Utah Republicans say they have lingering election security concerns, even though legislative auditors reported at the end of last year that they found no evidence of widespread fraud in the state’s elections. They did, however, find some delays in removing deceased residents from voter rolls.
House Minority Leader Angela Romero, a Salt Lake City Democrat, said the bill creates confusion for voters and could lower turnout. Elderly, disabled, low-income and rural voters may struggle to navigate the new limitations or obtain the required identification, she said.
Voters are requested or required to show ID in 36 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Utah currently requires two forms of ID and proof of residence to register to vote but does not require photo ID to cast a ballot.
All House Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Jim Dunnigan of Taylorsville, opposed the proposal. They argued Republican efforts to fix a system that isn't broken could cause voters to lose trust in state elections.
The vast majority of Utah residents have mailed in their ballots or deposited them in drop boxes. Election workers match signatures on the envelopes with those that county clerks have on file.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox has repeatedly expressed confidence in the state’s election security but said he may be open to changing the state’s mail-in voting system so that votes can be tallied faster.
“We have complete integrity in our elections,” the governor said recently. “I think one of the areas where we start to lose trust is when there isn’t a decision on Election Night.”
The proposal would require all ballots to be in the county clerk’s possession by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Currently, ballots that are postmarked by the day before Election Day can be counted within the following two weeks.
Other significant election changes are on the table this legislative session.
Republicans have pitched stripping the lieutenant governor of her role as the state’s top elections official, and handing those duties to an independent elections office whose director would be appointed by a committee of county clerks. The proposal would remove Utah from a list of 33 states where voters elect their chief election officer.
Another bill would eliminate same-day voter registration and require voters to register a full month before Election Day. Others would change signature gathering procedures, raise the threshold to pass certain citizen ballot initiatives and withdraw Utah from the Electronic Registration Information Center. Under Trump’s encouragement, many GOP-led states have pulled out of the collaborative system known as ERIC, which helps states maintain accurate lists of registered voters.
Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press
