Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House approves election-records retention bill after extended floor debate; sponsors say safeguards limit misuse
Summary
After extended floor debate and an unsuccessful motion to refuse concurrence, the Utah House concurred with Senate amendments to second substitute HB 2 63, which requires certain digital election records be retained and accessible for research for up to 12 years; the bill includes safeguards and options to use State Archives for preservation.
The House concurred with Senate amendments and passed second substitute HB 2 63 after extended floor debate that focused on retention and access to digital election records.
Sponsor Representative Thurston told the chamber the bill does not require counties to acquire new scanning equipment; it requires retention of digital copies where clerks already scan documents. The bill, as amended, permits counties to use the State Archives for preservation if they lack capacity.
Opponents urged caution on the administrative and fiscal burdens of storing election materials for a 12-year retention period and expressed concern that records could be used to undermine election confidence. Representative Wynn moved to refuse concurrence — a motion that failed on the floor — and Representative Thurston repeatedly said the bill’s intent is to allow the Legislature to investigate election processes, not relitigate election outcomes.
Representative Peterson questioned whether the bill requires scanning all voting documents; Thurston responded that retention applies only if the county already scans the documents and said clerks must obtain county commission approval before accessing those digital records. Representative Ballard asked for clarification and was told the 12-year retention is intended to allow research across at least two presidential cycles and that State Archives may be used for storage.
The House voted to concur with the Senate amendments and then passed the second substitute HB 2 63; the final recorded tally in the floor transcript shows the bill passing the House 47 yes, 23 no. The transcript records sponsors saying the statute is intended to permit research on administrative aspects of the election process and includes what sponsors described as multiple safeguards.
Ending: Sponsors said they are open to future work but noted they had incorporated clerk requests into the second substitute and that refusing concurrence would not yield additional changes before adjournment.
