Gov. Cox signs controversial election reform bill, requiring opt-in for mail-in ballots

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Governor Spencer Cox has signed a controversial bill that will make substantial changes to how Utahns vote in future elections.

Among the 100 bills signed by Cox Wednesday afternoon was H.B. 300 — or Amendments to Election Law — which passed the legislature in controversy due to the changes it makes to mail-in voting in the Beehive State. Among its provisions is a requirement for voters to begin opting in to receive a mail-in ballot every 8 years.

The bill also includes several new reforms, including:

• Requiring voters to place the last 4 digits of their driver’s license, state ID, or social security number on their ballot return envelopes
• Mandates that clerks will begin phasing out signature verification by 2029
• Those who cannot provide these identifications to vote in person, with exceptions
• Ballots must arrive at the clerks’ office no later than 8 p.m. Election Day to be counted
• Requiring voters to opt-in for mail-in ballots when they register to vote in order to receive one
• Voters will stop receiving a mail-in ballot by default in 2029
• Ordering the Lt. Governor to seek an agreement with the federal court system to notify the state of individuals who are disqualified from jury duty due to “criminal convictions or non-citizen status”
• Orders the Lt. Governor to identify “anomalies” in the voter rolls and investigate the validity of a voter record when a ballot is returned as “undeliverable,” and
• Creates an exception to the rule that ballots must be mailed in Utah, if the jurisdiction mailing the ballots is assigned to a postal service area outside of Utah.

The bill was universally opposed by Utah’s county clerks, sharing concerns how the new law will disrupt the voting process and the logistics of enforcement of the new law.

“[Requiring ID] does add that level of security (to elections) but with that comes a huge time and resource component,” Lannie Chapman, Salt Lake County clerk, wrote. “In order to accomplish this successfully, we’re going to have to increase the amount of people that work with us.”

Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson, in an interview with ABC4.com, shared concerns about the waste the bill will cause. As many clerks have envelopes on hand and will have to reprint new return envelopes to abide by the new law’s id verification.

In an interview on Inside Utah Politics, Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson reassured voters that the state has a few years to “figure out” how the new bill will be implemented and encouraged voters to be proactive with their vote.

“We do have some time to figure this out if we didn’t get it right this year,” Henderson told ABC4.com. “We as Utahns believe in personal responsibility, voters should be no different. They have control of their ballot, and they need to make sure that they are responsible for knowing what the laws are, for turning their ballot in on time, to double check to make sure their vote was counted appropriately.”

The bill will take effect May 7, 2025, and will complete the transition to the new system fully by 2029.

At the time of writing this, the governor has signed 476 bills, vetoed 2, and has 104 bills left to act on before tomorrow at midnight. Any bills that the governor does not sign, or veto will automatically become law.