SALT LAKE CITY — The way Utahns vote by mail is changing, after Gov. Spencer Cox signed a new bill into law on Wednesday.
Under House Bill 300, instead of signing your ballot, you have to write the last four digits of your ID — which can be a driver’s license, social security number, state ID or tribal ID card.
Also, voters need to opt in every 8 years to receive a ballot in the mail.
Iron County clerk Jon Whittaker spoke against the bill when it was in a senate committee, and now he hopes that voters understand the new guidelines, including the one that election officials need to have your ballot the day of the election for your vote to count, regardless of when it’s postmarked.
“For us, the challenge will be that we need to be able to communicate to voters the new requirement, in particular, when the ballot has to be in my, the collective clerks' possession," said Whittaker.
It was a controversial bill on Capitol Hill with packed committee hearings as the bill went through the legislature. When HB 300 was introduced, it started as legislation that would require you to have your signature verified by two or more election workers before you dropped your ballot in the mail or Dropbox. That changed quite a bit, but the final version still features changes that some county clerks are not thrilled about.
The bill goes into effect in 2029. But, over the next three years, the plan to slowly start phasing out the signature and alerting people to the changes so there are no surprises in 2029.
