Two controversial election reform bills crammed into one committee hearing — one that would effectively end the universal option to vote by mail in Utah and another removing the state from an organization meant to enable voter roll cleanup — passed Tuesday amid concerns from local elections officials and voting rights groups.
The most consequential of the bills, HB300 from Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salem, would require that ballots mailed to voters be returned in person unless voters apply in person ahead of the election to submit their vote through the mail.
It also would implement more strict voter identification laws, mandating voters show their ID when placing their ballots in drop boxes, which two poll workers would watch. The drop boxes would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.
Voting rights groups warn that if the bill becomes law, it would put in place significant hurdles for Utahns to participate in elections — especially for those who are low-income or who have disabilities.
While some Republicans expressed reservations about the bill, it passed out of the House Government Operations Committee after a mostly party-line vote. Centerville Republican Rep. Paul Cutler broke from his party to oppose the bill.
The bill still has to clear the full bodies of both the House and the Senate. If signed into law, the changes would first be implemented for municipal elections held in November.
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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.