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House set to take up a required voter ID shift to Utah’s vote by mail system

Republican Rep. Jefferson Burton presents his bill that would change how Utah conducts vote-by-mail elections to the House Government Operations Committee, Feb. 4, 2025.
Saige Miller
/
KUER
Republican Rep. Jefferson Burton presents his bill that would change how Utah conducts vote-by-mail elections to the House Government Operations Committee, Feb. 4, 2025.

Utah is one of eight states that conduct elections primarily by mail. Now, a big change is on the table. Lawmakers want to require voters to show a valid form of identification when they drop off a ballot at a secure dropbox or polling place.

Under HB300, voters would still be able to receive their ballot via mail but they couldn’t return it by mail. Instead, the voter would need to submit an in-person application along with ID if they want to be able to send their ballot back by mail. If they don’t, Utahns would have to vote in-person or drop off the ballot in-person. Right now, all eligible registered voters are automatically mailed a ballot and can return it the same way.

Sponsor Republican Rep. Jefferson Burton said this change is a critical step to ensuring Utah’s election system is secure.

“I hear a lot from people that I talk to that are concerned about the idea of somebody voting who maybe shouldn't be voting,” he said during a Feb. 4 committee hearing. “And so the idea here is that we will take some actions to ensure that it's only registered voters and citizens that vote.”

Here’s how the verification system would work.

Burton said two poll workers would monitor each drop-box to check ID’s. Once it's determined the voter is allowed to cast a ballot, the poll worker places a special stamp on the envelope before putting it in a lock box to maintain the chain of custody. To accommodate the voter ID law, Burton said polling stations would be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. five days before Election Day but he’s considering extending it.

He also believes limiting vote by mail will get results out quicker because clerks would have the bulk of ballots on election night instead of having to wait for them to trickle in through the mail.

“We were one of just a handful of states that didn't call the election on election night and went many days past the election before those results were called,” Burton said. “That concerns voters because they think maybe something's going on, maybe fraud.”

The bill is in response to recent legislative audits, including one that found minor errors were made during the 2024 election. While two deceased voters were found to have cast a ballot, there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. The bigger concern, according to the report, was the number of dead people still on Utah’s voter rolls.

Supporters line up during public comment to speak on a bill that would establish voter ID laws to return a mailed ballot during an election, Feb. 4. 2025.
Saige Miller
/
KUER
Supporters line up during public comment to speak on a bill that would establish voter ID laws to return a mailed ballot during an election, Feb. 4. 2025.

There were also worries about the U.S. Postal Service’s handling of ballots.

During the June GOP primary election, around 1,000 ballots in southern Utah were disqualified because they were not postmarked by the deadline. Some ballots were routed to Las Vegas because that was the closest processing center to Washington County.

Burton also highlighted a 2024 poll by Pew Research that found 81% of Americans surveyed supported showing an ID to vote as a reason for running the bill. The poll showed 95% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats favored it.

A 2024 Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, however, found that 75% of Utahns are confident with the current vote-by-mail system. Other polls found similar results.

It would cost the state and individual counties a pretty penny to comply with the bill. The attached fiscal note states it would cost roughly $6 million of ongoing funds. Burton recognized that the price is steep and said he is working on ways to reduce it.

“In a free Republic, we're willing to take some responsibility for making sure that our elections are fair and secure,” he said.

Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie said clerks haven’t taken a position. However, there are concerns over the logistics of how to implement it and the costs.

Utahns who spoke in opposition during public comment had similar concerns. They also said moving away from vote by mail would hinder voter turnout.

Helen Moser with the League of Women Voters of Utah said vote-by-mail is foundational to the state’s electoral success.

“This system has improved voter turnout by nearly 30%,” she said. “A hybrid solution is certainly going to reverse our participation rate.”

Moser questioned what problem the bill was aiming to solve and if it was worth dismantling a system that was working. If it’s fraud, she said, a KSL investigation discovered 32 potential cases of fraud in the last 12 years, which is a fraud rate of less than 0.001%.

Burton acknowledged the potential for decreased voter turnout.

Opponent of HB300 lined up to speak on the other side of the room during public comment, Feb. 4. 2025.
Saige Miller
/
KUER
Opponent of HB300 lined up to speak on the other side of the room during public comment, Feb. 4. 2025.

Nate Crippes, an attorney with the Disabilities Law Center of Utah, said the bill would disproportionately impact elderly Utahns and those with disabilities.

“Even though a voter can request to receive and return a ballot by mail, they must do so to show their ID in person,” he said. “This will be challenging for many voters with disabilities due to health conditions, lack of transportation and because family members or care staff hold their ID.”

Crippes added it would also likely violate federal accessibility law because ballot boxes and polling places are often out of compliance.

Rep. Paul Cutler, the only Republican who voted no on the bill, also expressed concern about Utahns with disabilities, especially those who are homebound, being disenfranchised because they wouldn’t qualify to vote by mail. Burton assured him that a substitute was on the way that would fix the problem.

Others believed the bill would strengthen election integrity.

Jordan Hess, a Republican precinct chair in Washington County, said requiring an ID to vote is common sense and Utahns should have to prove they are eligible to vote.

“You need an ID to rent a car, to fly on a plane, to purchase a gun, to adopt a pet, to check into a hotel room, to apply for a fishing license every time you go to a doctor's office, it shouldn't be hard to require an ID when we cast our vote,” he said.

Kristin Richey, a Republican delegate from Highland liked the bill. She said it would eliminate the process of verifying each voter's signature on a ballot and it would allow for election results to be released faster. Even if lawmakers pass the bill, Richey thinks more work is needed in order to ensure election security.

“I believe that either we want integrity and transparency in our election process, or we are choosing to stand in the way,” she said.

The bill advanced out of committee in a 9-4 vote and is headed to the House for debate.

One Republican joined the three Democrats in voting against it. However, at least three other Republicans said they voted for it because they trust the sponsor to address concerns they have about accessibility and costs.

Saige is a politics reporter and co-host of KUER's State Street politics podcast
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