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House advances early‑voting and polling‑place changes to give counties more flexibility
Summary
Lawmakers adopted amendments to House Bill 15 allowing up to 14 days of early voting and tightened identification rules; House Bill 13 was amended to moderate precinct‑size thresholds and require at least two polling places per county. Both bills passed the House on Jan. 30.
Two measures on the House floor on Jan. 30 aimed to change how Utah counties operate elections: House Bill 15 (early voting and related technical changes) and House Bill 13 (common polling places and precinct sizing).
"What this does, the bottom line on this bill, is allows voting to take place 14 before an election," Representative Douglas Agard said while explaining Amendment 1 to HB15, which he described as a collaborative product with clerks and the Disability Law Center. Agard and others said the purpose is to increase voter convenience and give counties discretion to allocate resources and manage costs related to electronic voting machines required under HAVA.
On HB13, sponsors negotiated a compromise amendment reducing a proposed precinct‑size cap from 2,000 to 1,250 and adding a requirement that counties provide at least two polling places on election day. Representative Hughes and Representative Hansen both voiced support for the compromise as a way to preserve rural access while allowing efficient deployment of machines.
Both measures were adopted on the floor: the amended HB15 passed by recorded vote (68 yes, 0 no) and HB13 as amended passed (66 yes, 0 no). Sponsors said counties will retain discretion under the new language and stressed that some existing practices (such as small segments being required to vote absentee) were not changed by these bills.
