Utah’s Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates both support online voting for people with disabilities throughout the state.
Utah County currently allows them tovote online, as an accommodation required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The state Republican Convention in April used the same technology for its delegates to nominate candidates.
During an interview with the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and University of Utah Law Professor Chris Peterson said that accomodation should be expanded statewide, with appropriate security measures.
“That might be a positive step that should not be unduly burdensome for state officials or too expensive,” Peterson said. “It's a kind of a practical solution we should be looking for to facilitate access to the ballot for our disabled friends, neighbors and loved ones.”
Utah’s Republican candidate for governor, current Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, said during his interview with the center that it would be a focus of his administration while noting the process might not be fast.
“Unfortunately, these platforms are not cheap and there are security issues that we're always working through,” Cox said. “That's one of the reasons I pushed to have this pilot program [in Utah County]. Our hope is that we can expand that into all of our counties as the legislature gets more comfortable with these types of platforms.”
This is the first open seat for governor since 2004. The General Election is Nov. 3 and each county in Utah is required to have at least one in-person voting location.
