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House approves adding birth-date field to initiative petitions after privacy debate
Summary
House passes Senate Bill 11 to add birth-date information to initiative and referendum petitions to help county clerks verify signers; sponsors said signatures can still count if a signer refuses to provide birth date, while members raised visibility and privacy concerns.
The Utah House approved Senate Bill 11, which would require the inclusion of a signer's birth date on initiative and referendum petitions to help county clerks confirm identity. Representative Hogue, sponsor on the floor, said the change would "allow the clerks to better identify the persons that are signing initiative or referendum."
Members asked whether adding the birth date would expose sensitive information during a multi-signature page signing process. One questioner noted the possibility that "the next person down could easily obtain that" birth-date information when signing on a shared sheet. The sponsor responded that "this would be the same as any other petition" and reiterated that the additional birth-date detail is intended as a clerk verification tool.
The sponsor also clarified that if a signer does not provide a birth date, signatures "could still be counted because what really counts is the fact that the county clerk identifies the signer." Supporters said adding birth-date information would reduce the number of signatures the clerk discards for lack of identification; opponents expressed privacy concerns and the House passed the bill 61-14.
The bill was signed by the Speaker and referred to the Senate for the president's signature.
