That’s about 11,000 short of the more than 140,000 valid signatures needed to get the citizen-led referendum on the ballot.
The referendum seeks to repeal HB267, passed during the 2025 General Session. It bans public unions from collective bargaining — a process where an employer and a union negotiate wages, benefits and other aspects of worker compensation.
Under the law, new labor organization employees will also be excluded from participating in Utah Retirement Systems, which provides retirement and insurance benefits to public employees.
At a coalition press conference on Friday, Utah Public Employees Association Director Jessica Bruner said there’s still a long way to go. She said the coalition wants to double that number.
“We know that we have well-meaning people signing this petition who may not be registered to vote or put an incorrect address, they might fill out the form incorrectly, or their signature and handwriting may be illegible,” Bruner said. “This list could go on, but these are all reasons why many signatures may not be counted, although we have nearly 130,000 signatures and overwhelming support, we must keep this momentum going.”
More than 1,500 volunteers began collecting referendum signatures statewide on March 15. To reach their goal, roughly 5,000 more signatures must be collected in person each day.
Those signatures also must include at least 8% of voters in 15 of Utah’s 29 state Senate districts. The group has until April 14 to gather signatures.
