Utah Republicans are making a stand for election security, passing legislation that will dramatically change how mail-in ballots are handled in the state. The GOP-controlled Legislature has approved legislation that would end universal mail-in voting and implement stronger voter identification requirements. The bill now awaits the signature of Republican Governor Spencer Cox, who has already signaled his support.
For years, Utah has been one of the few Republican-led states that embraced universal mail-in voting, which automatically sends ballots to every registered voter. But amid growing concerns about election integrity, particularly from voters who have watched election chaos unfold in other states, Utah lawmakers are taking action to tighten security measures and stop potential absentee ballot fraud.
Eight states and Washington, D.C., allow all elections to be conducted entirely by mail: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington state.
Five Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill, which passed with veto-proof margins in the House and fell one vote short of a veto-proof majority in the Senate.
Democrat State Sen. Nate Blouin was quoted by the Associated Press as saying Republicans were “conspiracy thinking” around election security.
Under the new Utah law, voters who wish to receive mail-in ballots must opt-in, rather than having ballots sent to them automatically. This represents a major shift from the current system, which many critics argue is vulnerable to fraud and manipulation. Additionally, the bill strengthens voter ID requirements, requiring anyone returning a ballot by mail or drop box to provide the last four digits of their driver’s license, state ID, or Social Security number.
Hellbound and Down 