Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official bill document posted by the Utah Legislature, fetched 2026-08-23. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official document appears here in brackets. This is the enrolled version. The official bill page.
Elections Study 2026 GENERAL SESSION STATE OF UTAH Chief Sponsor: Jefferson S. Burton Senate Sponsor: Michael K. McKell LONG TITLE General Description: This bill directs the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy at Utah Valley University and the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University to conduct an elections study. Highlighted Provisions: This bill: directs the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy at Utah Valley University (the institute) and the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University (the center) to conduct an elections study regarding: the security of in-person voting versus voting by mail; and best practices for conducting and implementing a process where identification must be presented before depositing a ballot in a ballot drop box; and directs the institute and the center to present the study to the Government Operations Interim Committee. Money Appropriated in this Bill: None Other Special Clauses: None Utah Code Sections Affected: ENACTS: 53H-4-708, Utah Code Annotated 1953 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah: Section 1. Section 53H-4-708 is enacted to read: 53H-4-708. Election study. (1) The institute and the center shall conduct a study to determine: (a) the security risks of in-person voting versus voting by mail; and (b) the best practices for conducting and implementing a process where identification is presented and checked at a ballot drop box before a voter may deposit a ballot in the ballot drop box. (2) The portion of the study described in Subsection (1)(a) shall include: (a) a comparison between Utah and states that don't use voting by mail as the primary means of voting; (b) an analysis of potential and actual fraud in Utah, and in comparison to other states; (c) an analysis of the accuracy or inaccuracy of voter rolls using a vote by mail system versus in-person voting; and (d) an analysis of related issues raised in 2024-20, A Performance Audit of Utah's Election System: Strengthening Election Integrity. (3) The portion of the study described in Subsection (1)(b) shall include information, analysis, and recommendations regarding: (a) logistics; (b) wait times; (c) costs; and (d) ballot processing. (4) The institute and the center shall present the results of the study described in this section to the Government Operations Interim Committee at or before the October 2026 interim meeting. Section 2. Effective Date. This bill takes effect on May 6, 2026. 3-11-26 4:04 PM
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