GOP lawmakers who claimed there’s been widespread voter fraud in Utah demanded a security study of the state’s mail ballots. The Wednesday reveal from researchers: Utah’s system works — and neither “in-person or mail voting is inherently more secure.”
The two approaches ultimately “remain subject to many of the same risks,” Utah Valley University researchers determined after analyzing election systems in Utah and five other states.
The taxpayer-funded, $100,000 study was commissioned by lawmakers earlier this year as part of a last-minute compromise to preserve the state’s vote-by-mail election system against a House GOP push to gut it. The results come as political attacks on mail voting continue both in the Beehive State and nationwide.
Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salem, introduced a law in 2025 that will eventually end Utah’s practice of sending a ballot to every active, registered voter’s mailbox. Starting in 2029, voters must opt in to receive a ballot through the mail.
Lawmakers asked few questions and did not discuss making any changes to that plan after hearing from the researchers at a Government Operations Interim Committee meeting.
Read the full article by Emily R. Anderson at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.