Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Election Youth Registration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Advances Bill to Place Voter Registration Forms in High School Senior Packets; Removes School Collection Duty
Summary
Senate Bill 32, sponsored by Senator Evans and supported by the lieutenant governor’s office, would require county clerks to send voter registration forms directly to high schools for inclusion in senior packets. The Senate adopted an amendment deleting a requirement that schools collect and mail completed forms back, and placed the bill on third reading.
The Utah Senate advanced legislation aimed at increasing youth voter registration by requiring county clerks to provide voter registration forms directly to high schools, where they would be placed in senior registration packets. Senator Evans, sponsor of SB32, said the change was intended to ensure forms reach seniors rather than being lost in administrative distribution.
The bill, supported by the lieutenant governor's office and several county clerks, also allows county clerks to keep forms on file until a student turns 18. During floor debate, senators raised problems seen in other registration drives where completed forms were not properly filed and voters later found they were not registered on election day. "They said, 'But I've registered,' and here's my slip, and we've had some real problems on that," a senator said when questioning the implementation.
Concern over placing collection responsibility on teachers prompted an amendment to delete the bill language requiring schools to collect and return completed forms to county clerks. That amendment was adopted after a division vote (14 yay / 10 nay). Senator Evans said the program will coordinate with the lieutenant governor's voter-education curriculum and that the State will follow standard mail-in registration processes to minimize filing errors.
After the amendment, the Senate called the question and voted to place SB32 on the third reading calendar by a recorded vote of 27 ayes, 0 nays, 2 absent. The bill awaits third reading and final passage.
