Voting by mail will stay the same this November after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected plans that would have disrupted the process.
President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Postal Service to stop illegal voting by noncitizens. The agency’s plan in response could have made significant changes to mail-in voting, including new lists of approved voters and special requirements for ballots.
Experts warned the plan could have disenfranchised legitimate voters.
Before the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling, officials in Summit and Wasatch counties were prepared to adapt.
Interim Summit County Clerk Malena Stevens said her office had plans, backup plans and “backup plans to our backup plans” to ensure the community could vote even if guidelines changed.
She and many other election officials across the country signed a “friend of the court” brief, urging justices not to change the voting process so close to Election Day.
“The public deserves to have a flawless election that is run in the ways that we've been running and that they're used to,” she said.
Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson signed on as well.
Stevens said the ruling came as a relief. Now, the election will proceed the same way it has in years past.
“I and members of my staff have fielded many calls and communications with members of the public that have been really concerned about this issue, asking repeatedly, you know, ‘Will we have vote by mail? Am I going to be able to get my ballot? How is this election going to work?’ and really being in a place of uncertainty,” she said. “And so, I'm very pleased that the uncertainty, for at least this election, has been put to bed.”
While the vote-by-mail process is unchanged, the clerk’s office still prepares for other concerns that could crop up before Election Day, like a fire or a power outage.
Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor Joey Granger said before the ruling she also fielded some questions. Her office was ready to implement backup plans if needed.
“We are just doing everything as normal, but with the exception of just making sure we have every backup plan available and ready to go, just in case,” she said Monday. “You know, so extra ballot stock if we have to do all in-person or things like that.”
About 95% of Wasatch Back voters receive their ballots in the mail. Utah overall has one of the highest rates of mail-in voting in the country, according to the New York Times.
An audit in Utah found over 99% of registered voters are verified citizens.
Ballots will be mailed out Oct. 13, and the general election is Nov. 3.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW.
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