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Utah House passes elections cleanup bill that codifies mailed ballots and an 11-day registration deadline
Summary
House Bill 36 clarifies that voters will receive ballots by mail unless they opt out, consolidates voter-registration deadlines to 11 days before an election while preserving same-day registration, and passed the House 70-0 on Jan. 30, 2020.
The Utah House on Jan. 30 approved House Bill 36, an elections “cleanup” measure the sponsor said clarifies current practice on mailed ballots and simplifies voter-registration deadlines.
Representative Harrison, sponsor of HB 36, told the House the bill was drafted with county clerks and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to remove antiquated language and confusion about absentee ballots. He said the bill establishes ‘‘an understanding that voters, unless they request otherwise, will receive a ballot in the mail for each election in which they qualify to vote,’’ while explicitly preserving the option to vote in person during early voting or on election day.
Harrison also said the bill consolidates multiple voter-registration deadlines into a single deadline of 11 days before an election but retains same-day registration at polling places. Representative Gibson asked whether the mailing practice would preclude in-person voting; Harrison replied the bill ‘‘is just clarifying in statute, current practice’’ and does not change the availability of in-person voting.
The House opened and closed voting; HB 36 passed 70-0 and was transmitted to the Senate. The sponsor credited clerks statewide and named drafters who worked on the language. The measure was described on the floor as technical and intended to reduce confusion rather than to change voter access policy.
