How elections in Utah could look different this year

A employee carries a bin of ballots to a rolling cart as election employees course of ballots on the Salt Lake County Clerk’s Workplace in Salt Lake Metropolis on Nov. 3, 2020. Lawmakers have proposed a wide range of modifications to enhance elections in Utah, two of which have acquired broad help — together with from the state’s highest election official.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information

Lawmakers have proposed a wide range of modifications to enhance elections in Utah, two of which have acquired broad help — together with from the state’s highest election official.

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson spoke in favor of a invoice to change entry for ballot watchers on Tuesday, after lending her help to a separate election safety effort final week.

Henderson stated her workplace labored with invoice sponsor Rep. Mark Robust, R-Bluffdale, to craft HB387, which might require that ballot watchers be allowed to face inside 6 toes to look at the counting of votes and require that county clerks recurrently put up working totals of ballots acquired and processed. Robust stated the availability would standardize reporting practices throughout the state and enhance transparency.

He likened the invoice to sporting “a belt and suspenders,” by addressing a number of areas of transparency in elections.

“In the event you put on a belt and suspenders, you’re actually not going to lose your pants,” Robust stated. “I like to recommend you solely put on one or the opposite from a trend standpoint, however from an election integrity standpoint, we wish to put each a belt and suspenders on this invoice.”

Previous to an election, the invoice would require that county clerks launch a each day complete of ballots of their possession, in addition to the quantity which were processed or are in course of.

In the course of the counting course of, counties could be required to launch a working complete of ballots, together with these which were acquired, rejected, are awaiting processing, and are awaiting adjudication or duplication. Massive counties that depend ballots over the weekend could be required to launch up to date numbers each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, whereas others would solely report Wednesday and Friday.

Robust stated the invoice brings the counting of votes consistent with different authorities capabilities — equivalent to open conferences and hearings — which require superior public discover. Robust’s invoice stipulates that schedules be posted three days upfront, with any modifications introduced no less than 24 hours upfront.

An earlier model of the invoice addressed the date by which ballots have to be postmarked with a purpose to be counted, however Robust eliminated that language as a result of he didn’t see the change as “turning the needle.” Ballots will nonetheless have to be postmarked the day earlier than the election.

After being really helpful by the Home Authorities Operations Committee on Tuesday, HB387 will go to the complete Home for consideration.

Final week, the Home additionally superior HB313 to require voter IDs for mail-in ballots and require video surveillance for unattended poll drop containers. It additionally “clarifies that it's illegal to vote in the identical election in Utah and out of doors of Utah,” and requires that ballots be mailed from inside the state — in an effort to forestall what invoice sponsor Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Nice Grove, known as “nefarious exercise.”

“In our final election, it actually didn’t matter who you voted for, all of us sort of misplaced. And what we misplaced was voter confidence in our elections,” Hawkins informed Home colleagues final Thursday.

“There’s lots of people on this room who care deeply ... concerning the safety of our elections,” Henderson stated through the committee listening to on the invoice. “This invoice improves our techniques and processes.”

The unique invoice additionally included extra stringent procedures round voter IDs and would have made it non-compulsory for election officers to offer poll drop containers for voters.

In a YouTube video, Nikila Venugopal, the director of campaigns for the ACLU of Utah, stated the ID necessities and different provisions within the unique invoice would “throw chilly water on our rising participation developments in Utah.” She stated the present model “is in a greater place now,” however she wouldn’t go so far as to say the ACLU helps it.

“We’re sort of simply in a watching and monitoring sample proper now,” Venugopal stated, including that the ACLU had labored with Hawkins to resolve lots of their unique considerations. “We’re ... ensuring that what truly finally ends up passing doesn’t, actually, place large limitations in entrance of plenty of voters.”

HB313 handed the Home 65-8 final Thursday.