- Utah House Republicans are pushing for in-person voter ID for second year in a row.
- President Donald Trump said on Monday Republicans should "nationalize" elections.
- National surveys show a majority of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote.
Utah Republican leaders revived a proposal to require in-person voter ID for most ballots on Wednesday as President Donald Trump has led a campaign to end voting by mail ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The bill HB479 mirrors an election overhaul proposed last year that was ultimately watered down to only phase in a requirement for mail-in ballots to include the last four digits of state ID in addition to a signature.
Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz has said this session he intends to work with Senate counterparts to pass the original version of the bill. His comments come after Trump voiced aggressive opposition to mail-in ballots in August.
Trump vowed to “lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots.” Trump claimed voting by mail is more vulnerable to fraud and “States are merely an ‘agent’ for the federal government in counting and tabulating the votes.”
In an interview released on Monday with former deputy F.B.I. director Dan Bongino, Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting” in at least 15 places and that “Republicans ought to nationalize voting.”
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was referring to Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s SAVE Act, which would require voter ID and documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
The U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the authority to set the “times, places and manner of holding elections.” On Thursday, Schultz said HB479 is an example of how state innovation can improve elections everywhere.
“I really think this proposal ... could be a model for the nation moving forward because it takes what people love most about vote by mail ... and adds election integrity behind it,” Schultz, R-Hooper, said on Thursday.
What the bill does
HB479 would require most voters, after receiving a ballot in the mail, to return their ballot in person at a polling place or ballot drop box where they must present valid voter identification to a poll worker.
A voter may submit a form in person to their county clerk to receive mail-in ballot designation. These voters may return ballots through the mail for elections over the next two years, as long as the first election is at least 45 days away.
There are carve outs to ensure those who rely on voting by mail may still do so. Individuals with disabilities may request a mail-in ballot via mail or email. Military service members are automatically allowed to vote by mail.
The bill requires two poll workers to be stationed at ballot drop boxes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the five business days before Election Day, and from 8 a.m. till the last person in line can submit their ballot on election night.
While it does not have a fiscal note yet, the bill would likely entail investment in Utah’s election infrastructure, requiring poll workers to be stationed at drop boxes across the state, with one drop box for every 10,000 active registered voters.
In addition to showing government ID, voters would need to give poll workers their name and residence. If a worker “is not satisfied,” the worker would provide the voter with a provisional ballot letting the voter re-register to vote.
This bill would allow Utahns to maintain the convenience of receiving a ballot in the mail, giving them time to research candidates at home, while also adding identification requirements Schultz said will increase confidence.
Unlike last year when Utah senators were intent on preserving Utah’s vote-by-mail system, which has been around for more than a decade, on Thursday Senate leadership signaled interest in working on the bill.
Voter ID is popular
Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, pushed back against characterizations of the bill as doing away with mail-in ballots completely. He called it “a hybrid” between voting by mail and voting in person.
Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, who co-sponsored major election bills in 2025 and this session, acknowledged HB479 “in essence, changes vote by mail,” but said “that’s a policy shift that we need to look at.”
Utah Senate Minority Whip Karen Kwan, D-Taylorsville, said Democrats continue to question why Republicans are looking to reform a system that has proven to be reliable and valuable for rural, elderly and disabled Utahns.
“We are very supportive of making sure that our citizens have mail-in ballots,” Kwan said on Thursday. “We want to make sure that we protect that. It’s something that our communities, all of our communities, have really enjoyed.”
Schultz and Adams said public polling indicates broad support for voter ID requirements.
A 2025 Sutherland Institute poll found a majority of Utah voters said requiring photo ID when submitting a mail-in ballot would increase their confidence in elections.
A Pew survey from August found 83% of U.S. adults support requiring all voters to show photo identification to vote.
A Rasmussen Reports poll in January found 74% of likely U.S. voters believe requiring photo ID to vote is a reasonable policy to ensure election integrity.
This session Utah lawmakers are also considering bills on elections involving the lieutenant governor, another to require proof of citizenship to vote in state elections as well as a bill that would make most voter records public.