Electoral reform in Utah

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Electoral reform in Utah includes legislative and procedural changes intended to modify the state's electoral processes. These reforms have addressed issues such as voter identification, ballot initiatives, voting methods, and election administration.

Contents

Early voting rights and women's suffrage

Women in the Utah Territory gained the right to vote in 1870, lost it under the federal Edmunds–Tucker Act in 1887, and regained it with statehood in 1896. [1] The Utah Constitutional Convention of 1895 included women's suffrage in the state constitution, making Utah one of the first US states to grant women the right to vote. [2]

Voter ID laws and voting methods

Utah has taken an evolving approach to electoral processes, experimenting with voting methods and requirements.

The Count My Vote initiative of 2014 aimed to replace Utah's caucus system with a direct primary. A compromise led to Senate Bill 54, creating a dual-path system allowing candidates to qualify for the ballot via party conventions or signature gathering. This hybrid system remains in place, balancing traditional caucuses with broader voter participation. [3]

The Municipal Alternate Voting Methods Pilot Project, initiated by the Utah State Legislature in 2018 through HB35, permits municipalities to adopt Instant-runoff voting (IRV), also known as ranked-choice voting (RCV). [4] While initial adoption was limited, by 2021, 23 cities participated, [5] But due to administrative complexities and voter confusion, participation declined to 12 cities by 2023. [6] Utah legislators then introduced House Bill 176, titled Municipal Voting Methods Amendments, which proposed allowing municipalities to adopt approval voting as an alternative to RCV, citing its relative simplicity. As of May 2025, there has been no further action on the bill following referral to the House Rules Committee. [7]

In March 2025, Governor Spencer Cox signed into law House Bill 300, a measure aimed at modifying the state's postal voting procedures. The law

Ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments

In 2018, Utah voters approved Proposition 4, establishing an independent redistricting commission to combat gerrymandering. The legislature later passed SB 200, modifying the proposition's provisions. In 2024, in League of Women Voters v. Utah State Legislature, the Utah Supreme Court ruled that the legislature could not unilaterally alter voter-approved initiatives, reinforcing the power of citizen initiatives. [10]

In 2025, the Utah State Legislature proposed two significant changes to the ballot initiative process:

Election oversight and administration

In 2025, Utah lawmakers proposed significant changes to election oversight:

See also

References

  1. "Women's Suffrage in Utah (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  2. "Utah History Encyclopedia". www.uen.org. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  3. "Count My Vote launches voter petition to dump party conventions in favor of direct primary elections". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  4. "HB0035". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  5. "23 Cities to Use Ranked Choice Voting In Utah this Year". RepresentUs. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  6. "Utah's ranked choice voting program will continue through 2025 election". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  7. "HB0176". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  8. "Utah lawmakers move forward with reforms to mail-in ballots". Deseret News. 2025-03-04. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  9. "Utah Gov. Cox signs away the state's popular universal vote-by-mail election system, requiring opting in". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  10. "League of Women Voters v. Utah State Legislature". Justia Law. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  11. McKellar, Katie (2025-01-30). "Utah lawmaker wants to ask voters to set higher bar for ballot initiatives that raise taxes • Utah News Dispatch". Utah News Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  12. McKellar, Katie (2025-01-25). "Anti-initiative or 'informed'? Utah Senate OKs bill adding new requirements on voter initiatives • Utah News Dispatch". Utah News Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  13. "Utah lawmaker wants to appoint a statewide elections director". Deseret News. 2025-02-03. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  14. McKellar, Katie (2025-02-18). "Utah one step closer to becoming next state to leave voter roll group ERIC • Utah News Dispatch". Utah News Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  15. "The Right-wing Pressure Campaign That Led States to Abandon Crucial Voter-Roll Maintenance Organization". American Oversight. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  16. "Utah lawmakers look to speed up election night results". Deseret News. 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  17. "HB0263". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  18. "Every county clerk in Utah is pushing Cox to veto election records bill, except one". ABC4 Utah. 2025-03-21. Archived from the original on 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-05-13.