Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Monday issued an executive order declaring the referendum over HB267 will go on the ballot for the 2026 general election.

This executive order comes after an announcement from Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson on Saturday that the referendum had officially fulfilled the requirements to go to public vote.

The election in 2026 will take place on Nov. 3.

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In order for a referendum to get on the ballot it requires verified signatures from at least 8% of registered voters in the state and 8% of voters in at least 15 of the state’s 29 Senate districts.

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The law passed during this year’s state legislative session and after the session ended a group of public labor unions against HB267 came together to form the Protect Utah Workers coalition. The coalition then submitted a referendum application and launched a massive signature gathering effort.

A total of 251,590 signatures were verified.

Larry Littlefield passes down boxes full of signatures bound for submission to the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office supporting a referendum on HB267 at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News

HB267 was originally supposed to go into effect on July 1, but last month Henderson declared a temporary stay of the law.

In the executive order it states that “H.B. 267 will not take effect unless and until it is approved by a vote of the people in the 2026 General Election.”

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