Utahns like to vote by mail. It’s convenient and it fosters thoughtful deliberation and research. Studies have shown that it increases turnout.
An opinion poll commissioned in October by the Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics, and conducted by HarrisX, found that 75% of Utahns are either somewhat or very confident that mailed-in ballots are counted as the voter intended. When broken out by party, the poll found 72% of Republicans feeling the same level of confidence.
With this in mind, it would be irresponsible for Utah lawmakers to weaken, do away with or eliminate vote-by-mail as the primary method most state residents use for casting ballots. Rather than increase trust in elections, it might have the opposite effect. Utahns don’t want to go back to standing in lines at polling stations.
Some have expressed concern with mail-in ballots because it takes too long to tally votes and post results. If this is the main problem, lawmakers should focus on ways to fix it without eliminating what has become a popular and effective way to vote. The percentage of registered voters who cast ballots in Utah was 90.09% in the 2020 general election, the latest one for which final results are available. That compares with 69.85% who voted in the 2000 election, according to state figures. Clearly, the trend has been toward greater voter participation in Utah, which is a good thing. The ability to vote by mail has played a positive role in that.
As the Deseret News reported previously reported, Utah lawmakers are proposing several significant changes to the way the state conducts elections. Voting by mail is one specific target of these reforms. One bill would limit mail-in ballots to those who have voted in the most recent elections. One would require voters to specifically opt in to mail-in ballots, rather than to receive them automatically, as is the current practice in much of the state. Another idea proposed by a lobbying group would require voters to return their mail-in ballots to official polling locations where each voter’s ID would be checked.
Each of these seeks to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Utah’s vote-by-mail system is a success. KSL recently examined every alleged violation of state election code going back 12 years. Only 32 cases were discovered, containing 58 charges. Of those, just one man was charged with voting twice, which he said resulted from a misunderstanding related to filing a provisional ballot. The charge was dismissed after he paid a $50 fine.
If anything, the state might wish to deal with postmark deadlines. Less than 200 votes separated two candidates in the Republican primary for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. The losing candidate challenged the results because some ballots were filed too late to receive a timely postmark in Las Vegas, where Southern Utah mail is sorted.
However, it’s unclear what specific change would remedy that problem.
One other proposed change would allow candidates receiving large majorities at the state convention — 70% or 80% — to automatically qualify for the general election ballot, regardless of how many others had gained signatures. This would be a significant step back toward favoring convention delegates over voters.
Lawmakers are also likely to consider changes that would make the petitions candidates turn in public records. This is not a bad idea.
Another proposal would create an independent office for conducting and policing elections, similar to what many other states do with an elected secretary of state or some similar appointed office. Currently, the state’s lieutenant governor has those duties.
Independence and transparency are good things. This change would not necessarily be bad, either. Again, however, it’s unclear what problem would be solved, or why an official appointed by politicians would be better than the elected lieutenant governor. As always, much would depend on the character and integrity of the person who assumes such an office.
The nation’s election system, which is governed separately by 50 states and administered by 3,244 separate counties, has been under unfair attack since 2020. Utah’s system has proven to be fair and accurate. The last thing the state needs are changes for change‘s sake, especially if they would put at risk systems that are trusted and popular.