SALT LAKE CITY — Tens of thousands of Utah voters switched their partisan registration to Republican ahead of last June’s primary election in order to cast a vote in the hotly contested GOP gubernatorial contest. Now comes a possible legislative backlash, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Voters in Utah would have to change their party affiliation before Jan. 1 of an election year if they wanted to vote in the state’s closed Republican primary.
HB197 is the brainchild of Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-West Jordan. The freshman lawmaker wants to restrict party-switching by voters by delaying a change made in an even-numbered year until after the June primary.
“This is about the integrity of the process. Anyone can register with whichever party they choose, but if they want to switch their registration right before the primary based on who the candidates are, it would prevent that,” he said.
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