A bill designed to remove Utah’s primary method of voting by mail and replace it with in-person voting failed to pass a House committee.
Sponsored by Rep. Phil Lyman, House Bill 371 lost in a vote of 3 to 7 on Wednesday evening. The bill’s intention was to return Utah back to in-person voting methods as Lyman believed that there was a crisis in confidence within Utah’s voting.
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and county clerks strongly opposed the bill, believing that it would restrict access to the ballot as it would have not only removed mail voting methods, but would have removed ballot drop-off boxes and drive-through voting. Election officials have stated that the state’s systems are secure and that any problems with elections are quickly addressed.
Other election-related bills are being considered in the ongoing legislative session.
