SB 53 Utah Senate · 2025 General Session

Election Code Amendments

SB 53 amends Utah's Election Code to streamline municipal incorporation processes and update signature-related procedures. It removes in-state residency requirements for people collecting signatures for political parties or candidate nominations, standardizes how voters can request signature removal from petitions, and reduces the deadline for new municipalities to finalize government structures from 60 to 30 days. The bill also clarifies that county clerks determine signature removal requests and updates election result transmission rules for boards of canvassers, eliminating the need for phone/fax/mail transmissions for certain data. These changes directly affect voters, petition circulators, county clerks, and local government organizers in Utah.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Jan 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Signed into Law

Mar 2025

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Signed Mar 19, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Enrolled · 5 edits · Mar 19, 2025

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's Election Code to standardize how voters can remove their signatures from petitions, reduce the time for new municipality sponsors to determine government structure from 60 to 30 days, clarify candidacy filing deadlines, and eliminate in-state residency requirements for petition gatherers for political parties. It also updates vote transmission requirements for election officials and makes technical corrections across multiple election-related statutes.

Scope change

The bill expands applicability by removing residency requirements for petition gatherers serving political parties and candidates, while clarifying which officials have authority to remove signatures from petitions.

TIMELINE

Reduced the time for petition sponsors of a new municipality to determine government features from 60 days to 30 days after the election.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the in-state residency requirement for individuals circulating petitions on behalf of political party organizations or candidates seeking party nomination.

REQUIREMENT

Standardized the process for voters to request removal of their signatures from petitions, clarifying that county clerks determine whether to remove signatures for incorporation petitions.

Updated vote transmission requirements so boards of canvassers must immediately transmit vote totals to the lieutenant governor for primary and certain general elections, eliminating the requirement to use telephone, fax, or mail.

TECHNICAL

Made technical and conforming changes to multiple Election Code sections related to petition forms, signature verification, and candidate filing procedures.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 19, 2025

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Feb 6, 2025

Legislature · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling

legislature

Feb 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

lower

Jan 31, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ committee report favorable

lower

Jan 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation

lower

Jan 29, 2025

Committee

House/ to standing committee

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor