
TAKE ACTION...
ON DEMOCRACY
Protect Vote By Mail
As you may know, Utah is a national leader of vote-by-mail. More than two decades ago, our elected officials started using mail-in ballots as a way of increasing voter participation, especially in rural areas.
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Today, we see legislative leadership try to undo that. House Bill 300 and it's recent substitute would end vote by mail as we know it.
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The new H.B. 300 would:
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End universal vote-by-mail by requiring voters to request their mail-in ballot. Currently, every active registered voter is mailed a ballot - a policy that has vastly improved voter turnout over the last two decades by 30%. Changing this policy will take us back decades and will reduce voter turnout as a result.
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Require you to provide the last four digits of your state ID on your ballot. Some voters, including the elderly, disabled, tribal communities, and students, are less likely to have Utah driver's licenses and will not be able to vote-by-mail as a result.
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Create strict photo ID requirements to register to vote. Currently, several documents are accepted to register to vote, including a Utah concealed carry permit, Tribal ID card, or two forms of ID that together can prove ID and residence. With HB 300, only certain forms of ID with photos will be accepted.
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Require mail-in ballots to be received by the county clerks by the time polls close on Election Day. Today, so long as your ballot is postmarked by the day before Election Day, even if it arrives after polls close, it will be counted as a timely cast ballot. With the change in HB 300, some ballots may be thrown out for reasons outside of voter’s control, like postal delays.
Facts on Voting-by-mail in Utah:
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Vote by mail is extremely popular in Utah: More than 96% of ballots cast in recent Utah elections were vote-by-mail ballots.
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Utahns believe vote-by-mail is secure: 75% of Utahns said they are confident that votes cast by mail in Utah are counted as voters intended.
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The implementation of vote-by-mail in Utah dramatically improved voter turnout rates and reversed declining trends - by around 30%.
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Utah has more than 20 election security measures in place at the state and local levels to protect election integrity and ensure that every ballot is counted accurately. We trust the post office with our most sensitive personal and financial information - why not our ballots?