A bill that originally would have drastically restricted voting by mail in Utah got a makeover after House and Senate legislative leaders struck a compromise — then it quickly cleared another major legislative hurdle. 

The House Tuesday voted 57-15 to pass a revamped HB300. It now goes to the Senate for further consideration. 

Now, under a new version of the bill adopted right before the House’s vote, HB300 would require Utah voters to write the last four digits of their government-issued identification card (like a driver license or another state ID) on their ballot’s return envelope. 

Currently, Utah automatically sends all active registered voters ballots through the mail. The previous version of HB300 would have limited that dramatically by requiring voters to apply for permission to vote by mail. Unless they received that permission, most voters would have been required to drop their ballots off in-person at a polling place or at a drop box manned by at least two poll workers — where they would need to show their ID. 

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Now, HB300 does not include those requirements for ballots to be dropped off in person. Instead, the bill requires clerks to use state ID numbers to confirm identities of voters who vote using a by-mail ballot — in addition to signature verification, which clerks currently use to verify by-mail voter identities. 

The bill now also takes a slower approach to moving away from automatically allowing all registered voters to receive by-mail ballots. The new version of HB300 would require voters to opt in to receiving a ballot by mail — but not until Jan. 1, 2028. But after they opt in, they would be able to continue receiving by-mail ballots for eight years, as long as they continue to be an active voter. 

The new version of HB300 now also allows voters to opt in to voting by mail while applying for or renewing their driver’s license or state ID card. The new bill would also allow Utahns who are older than 18, have not been issued a Utah driver license, and are “indigent” to receive a state ID card free of charge if they’re eligible to register to vote. 

There are still some provisions of the previous version of HB300 in the bill, including tightening up which by-mail ballots clerks would be able to count in the election. Currently, Utah law requires by-mail ballots to be counted as long as they’re postmarked the day before Election Day and received before the canvass. But if HB300 passes, it would require ballots to be received by an election officer on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

The lengthy compromise legislation became public Tuesday afternoon, hours before the House vote. But for days, the bill’s Senate sponsor, Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, was hinting it was coming in daily Sentate media availabilities with reporters. 

“We want voting as easy as possible without cheating, but we also wanted to make sure that we enhanced security,” McKell said of the new version of the bill. 

McKell said that the bill’s voter ID requirements create a new layer of security — something Republican legislators have advocated for this year after a contentious 2024 election that focused more scrutiny on voting in Utah than ever — but he argued it still preserves voting by mail with ease. 

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“I think we’ve really got it to a good place,” McKell said. 

Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, applauded McKell and the House’s top Republican leader, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, for reaching a compromise on the bill. 

“I think he’s landed it,” Adams said of McKell, calling the new version of HB300 “brilliant.” 

While the previous version of HB300 was favored by Schultz, the House speaker recently acknowledged that House lawmakers would likely need to give up on its restrictive provisions in order for the bill to survive the Senate, which was more inclined to more widely allow voting by mail. 

While praising the bill, Adams predicted it will be “copied by other states.” He also acknowledged, however, that lawmakers will have three years before phasing out automatic mail-in voting, so in future legislative sessions lawmakers can address any “hiccups.” 

Burton, while presenting the bill in the House chamber, said lawmakers listened to Utahns concerned about doing away with voting by mail. 

“Our voters have spoken. … We know that vote by mail is popular,” Burton said. “But this bill simply allows us to improve the security of our elections so that there is more voter confidence in the process.” 

He also argued giving clerks another tool to verify voter identities, with a voter ID number, will help clerks release election results quicker. 

“HB300 strengthens Utah’s elections while preserving the convenience of vote-by-mail, making our elections more transparent, accessible, and secure,” Burton said in a prepared statement. “Utahns’ voices, votes, and trust in democracy are not negotiable.” 

The bill passed the House mostly along party lines. Democrats — who have previously expressed concerns about restricting voting by mail and bringing sweeping changes to a system that audits have shown functions largely well — voted against it, along with one Republican, Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville. 

House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, leads the House chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Schultz, in a prepared statement issued after the vote, applauded HB300. 

“Right now, Utah is one of few states that doesn’t require any form of voter ID when casting a ballot. H.B. 300 changes that,” Schultz said. “Utahns deserve to feel certain that their elections are secure, their votes are counted accurately, and their voices truly matter. We can keep the elements of our elections that Utahns love while bolstering election security, transparency, and integrity.”

Currently, Utah already requires a form of ID and proof of residence to register to vote, but does not always require an ID when casting a vote. Today, the vast majority of Utahns use by-mail ballots to vote, which election workers verify by matching signatures county clerks have on file for each voter. The state does, however, already require ID to vote in person. 

In the Senate, the bill may still hit some pushback from Democrats, who question why Republicans are changing a system that’s functioned well. 

“There’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud,” Senate Minority Whip Karen Kwan, D-Taylorsville, told reporters Tuesday, arguing Utah’s voting system was “already working.” While the new version of HB300 appears to be an improvement, Kwan said her caucus will be looking at the bill closely as it progresses through the Senate. 

The bill now heads to a Senate committee for another yet-to-be scheduled public hearing. The clock is ticking, however. The 2025 Utah Legislature’s general session must end by midnight March 7.