In the midst of President Donald Trump's push to end mail-in voting, Utah Governor Spencer Cox defended the state’s vote-by-mail system, noting that Utah’s process stands apart from how other states conduct elections.
During the governor’s monthly press conference Thursday, Cox was asked about Trump’s consideration of an executive order to end voting by mail.
“I think President Trump and all of us are right to be extremely cautious when it comes to mail-in voting," Cox said. "I've expressed those concerns in the past.”
Utah Sen. Mike Lee has voiced support for Trump’s move, while Lt. Gov. Diedre Henderson has argued states should maintain the right to manage elections as they see fit.
But Cox said the answer is not quite that simple, because every state’s system is different.
“Most of the states that recently have implemented mail-in voting did it virtually overnight — almost literally overnight during COVID — without going through the process and the procedures," Cox explained. "And so it's very reasonable for someone to see that and say, ‘vote by mail is problematic, and we need to make sure that that voting is secure.’”
Utah’s vote-by-mail system developed gradually over several years, rather than through a single policy shift, starting in 2012, when lawmakers allowed counties to decide whether to conduct elections primarily by mail.
By 2016, 21 of the state’s 29 counties had made the switch. By 2019, the system was in place statewide, making vote-by-mail the default method of casting a ballot.
The Legislature reinforced that approach one year later, passing a law that automatically mails ballots to registered voters.
Ultimately, Cox stressed that it didn’t matter what his own opinion was, because the Constitution is clear that voting falls within the purview of the states and not the federal government.
As for if and how Utah would defend its right to vote by mail were Trump to make an actual move to eliminate it, Cox said he would have to wait and see.
