HB 374: Signature Collection Amendments - Utah

Amended 2/18/2025 09:02:134 → Substitute #1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's election code to standardize signature collection and verification processes for political party nominations and unaffiliated candidates. The key changes include adding a process for voters to request removal of their signatures from petitions, requiring election officials to post signature data on the lieutenant governor's website, and clarifying when signatures can be removed versus when they are protected after verification.

Scope change

The bill expands applicability to include unaffiliated candidates in addition to political party members, and adds new procedural requirements for signature verification and public posting across multiple sections of the election code.

REQUIREMENT

Establishes a new process allowing voters to request removal of their signatures from nomination petitions within three business days after the candidate files the petition.

Requires election officials to post each voter's name, voter ID number, and signature date on the lieutenant governor's website for at least 90 days after verification.

ELIGIBILITY

Extends signature collection and verification requirements to include unaffiliated candidates, not just registered political party members.

ENFORCEMENT

Prohibits election officials from removing a voter's signature once it has been verified, protecting verified signatures from removal.

TIMELINE

Standardizes deadlines for signature verification and public posting across different nomination processes (regular primaries, qualified parties, and unaffiliated candidates).

TECHNICAL

Makes technical and conforming changes to align signature collection procedures across multiple sections of the election code.

Amended Excerpts 2/18/2025 09:02:134 → Amended 2/18/2025 09:02:134 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's nomination petition process to establish a new procedure for removing signatures from petitions when a voter signs on behalf of a candidate from a non-qualified political party. The changes require election officials to post specific voter information on the lieutenant governor's website and prohibit removing verified signatures from petitions.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of nomination petition requirements to include specific posting obligations and signature removal procedures for candidates from non-qualified political parties and unaffiliated candidates.

REQUIREMENT

Requires election officials to post voter names, identification numbers, and signature dates on the lieutenant governor's website for petition signers.

Establishes a process for removing voter signatures from petitions when a voter signs on behalf of a candidate from a non-qualified political party.

Prohibits election officials from removing a voter's name from a petition if the signature has already been verified.

ENFORCEMENT

Added specific deadlines for posting voter information after petition signature verification.

TECHNICAL

Made technical and conforming changes to align with the new nomination petition requirements.

Introduced → Amended Excerpts 2/18/2025 09:02:134 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's election laws to improve transparency and accountability in the nomination petition process. The key change requires election officials to publicly post detailed information (name, voter ID number, and signature date) for every voter who signs a nomination petition on the lieutenant governor's website for at least 90 days. This applies to both registered political party candidates and unaffiliated candidates, ensuring greater public oversight of the petition verification process.

Scope change

The bill expands public access to nomination petition data by requiring mandatory posting of voter signature information online, applicable to all nomination petition processes including registered political parties, unaffiliated candidates, and qualified political party signature-gathering processes.

REQUIREMENT

Requires election officials to post voter name, voter identification number, and date of signature for each voter signing a nomination petition on the lieutenant governor's website for at least 90 days

Establishes a process for voters to request removal of their signature from a petition, but only if the election official has not yet verified the signature

Prohibits election officials from removing a voter's signature from a petition if they have already verified the signature, regardless of removal requests

Requires that when signatures are removed, the voter's identifying information must not be included in the public posting to protect privacy of removed signatures

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and numbering corrections throughout the bill text to align with standard legislative formatting conventions

Substitute #2 → Substitute #3 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill adds a coordination clause to two existing sections of Utah's election code to align their time computation rules with changes made in a separate bill (H.B. 299). It also includes minor technical corrections to section headers and formatting. The substantive policy content of the nomination petition and signature removal processes remains unchanged from the previous version.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on signature collection and nomination petitions for elective offices, but it now includes a coordination clause to ensure time computation rules are consistent with another recently passed bill.

TECHNICAL

Added a coordination clause to Sections 20A-9-405 and 20A-9-408 to incorporate hourly deadline changes from H.B. 299, ensuring time computation rules are consistent across related election legislation.

Updated section headers and formatting to reflect the coordination clause additions and correct section numbering references.

Removed the effective date provision (May 7, 2025) from the previous version, as this is a coordination bill that takes effect upon passage rather than establishing new effective dates.

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's election laws to improve transparency and accountability in the nomination petition process for candidates seeking party nominations. It adds requirements for election officials to post voter signature information online, establishes a process for voters to request signature removal from petitions, and clarifies procedures for verifying signatures and handling disputes. The changes apply to regular primary elections and signature-gathering processes for qualified political party nominations.

Scope change

The bill expands transparency requirements to cover all nomination petitions for regular primary elections and qualified political party nominations, requiring online posting of voter signature information.

REQUIREMENT

Requires election officials to post voter names and signature dates on the lieutenant governor's website for at least 90 days after verification

Establishes a process allowing voters to request removal of their signatures from nomination petitions within three business days of filing

Requires election officials to notify county or district attorneys when petition signers claim they did not sign

ENFORCEMENT

Prohibits election officials from removing verified signatures even if a voter requests removal

TIMELINE

Sets specific deadlines for signature verification, posting, and signature removal requests

TECHNICAL

Updates code sections to conform with new signature collection and verification procedures

Signature Collection Amendments

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