Tucked in the middle of a list of 100 bills Gov. Spencer Cox signed Thursday was “Amendments to Election Law,” or HB300 — the law that is set to end Utah’s popular universal vote-by-mail election system.
The governor did not include a comment on his decision to sign the bill in the news release, as he has for some other bills.
An initial version of the bill would have effectively eliminated Utahns’ option to send their ballot through the mail altogether, but the version Cox ultimately signed allows voters to opt in to participating in elections through the mail. Utahns must opt in before 2029, when counties will stop sending ballots to every voter’s mailbox.
The compromise came after widespread opposition among the elected officials who oversee the state’s elections, as well as skepticism from the Senate over cutting off access to voting by mail….
The law also starts Utah on the path of transitioning toward relying on the last four digits of a state ID number — or, if they don’t have one, the last four digits of their Social Security number — rather than the voter’s signature to verify a mail-in ballot.
It also moves up the deadline for returning a ballot, requiring voters to ensure that county clerks receive mailed ballots before 8 p.m. Election Day — likely resulting in fewer ballots being counted. Previously, all ballots postmarked by the day before Election Day were counted.
The bill has been criticized by Democrats and voting rights advocates as a policy change that will make it more difficult for marginalized communities — especially Native Americans and those with disabilities — to vote.