When I heard the recent threat of banning ballots with a stroke of a pen, my first thought wasn’t about Washington. It was about Utah moms. It was about the dad on a 12-hour shift; the grandma who watches grandkids before dawn; and the families who plan dinner around dance, sports and church activities. In Utah, mail-in voting fits real family life. It has strengthened participation, improved customer service, and we did it without sacrificing security. A one-size-fits-all order from D.C. would punish what works here at home.
As a former Utah County Clerk, my job was making it easy to vote and hard to cheat. We modernized our systems, cleaned up voter rolls, expanded ballot tracking and tightened chain of custody so that ballots are handled like evidence. I have seen which reforms move the needle for real people, especially for women who carry the family schedule.
Utah leaned into vote-by-mail for a practical reason: We wanted more Utahns to participate. And it worked. Communities adopting vote-by-mail saw significant turnout increases, particularly in local elections that used to see anemic participation. When you bring the ballot to the kitchen table, more of our neighbors have a say in county, legislative and federal races alike.
Some outside Utah assume mail-in voting must help Democrats, but that is not what we experienced. In a state full of conservative families, making it easier to vote helped conservative candidates win.
I also hear the phrase “voter fraud” a lot. No serious election official shrugs off that concern, and we haven’t. Utah requires signature verification before an envelope is opened, maintains documented chain of custody at every step, offers ballot tracking for voters, uses secure drop boxes with 24/7 video and conducts post-election audits to verify tabulation. Those are guardrails, not talking points, and they are why Utah’s model stands up under scrutiny from those with genuine concern.
The Constitution is clear. It puts elections in state hands. Utah designed a model that reflects our people and values. The idea that Washington, D.C., can erase that with an executive order should bother every federalist. If Washington tries to ban the system Utahns chose and proved, Utahns should strongly object. The proper path for states that want different rules is to change their own laws, not force Utah to abandon what works.
A federal ban on mail-in ballots would not solve problems in other states. It would kneecap Utah’s success. We built a model that balances access, transparency and security. That is why lines are shorter, results are cleaner and participation is broader. In Utah, Republicans win when more conservative moms vote, and mail-in ballots make that happen. If your goal is to grow the party by addition, not subtraction, then mail-in voting is a tool, not a threat. If your goal is to punish blue states, do not hobble red ones.
Let Utah be Utah. Respect the Constitution’s design. Stand for families by keeping voting accessible and secure. Do not take away a system that reflects our people and our values. If you want to win, invite more of your friends and families to vote. If you want trust, build it with openness and safeguards that work, not federal shortcuts that trample local success. Utah chose this path because it fits our communities, supports our values and strengthens participation. Keep elections local. Keep the kitchen table ballot and let moms keep their say.