CACHE COUNTY – Mail-in balloting will be more complicated for Utah voters in the future, thanks to a new law passed by the Legislature during its recently concluded 2025 general session.
The goal of House Bill 300 (Amendments to Election Law) as originally crafted by lawmakers would have effectively ended Utahns’ ability to vote by mail in the name of election security. The much revised and softened version of that legislation signed without comment by Gov. Spencer Cox on March 25 will still add conditions to the mail-in voting process, however.
“We gotten lots of calls about this,” according to Cache County Clerk Bryson Behm, who explains the impact of the new law for county voters.
The first of those changes will take effect this year.
“As an active, registered voter in Cache County,” he says, “you will continue to receive your ballots by mail … Beginning in 2025, however, all mail-in ballots must be received by county clerks no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.”
The full impact of H.B. 300 will be delayed until 2029, when voters will be required to opt-in to continue enjoying the benefit of receiving and sending their ballots through the mail.
Since 2019, Utah has been the only Republican–dominated state to automatically mail a ballot to every registered voter.
More than nine out of 10 Utahns have voted by mail in recent local, state and national elections. State officials credit that option with being an especially valued convenience for rural voters who live far from polling places.
But concerns about election security have been rife since the 2020 and those were in the forefront of Utah lawmakers’ minds when they passed H.B. 300.
That bill passed the legislature by a vote mostly along party lines, with only five GOP lawmakers joining all Democrats in opposing it.
Now, just seven states – including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington — plus Washington, D.C. – remain that automatically mail ballots to all registered voters.
“Starting in 2029,” Behm says, “ballots will no longer be mailed automatically to all active, registered voters. To continue voting by mail, you’ll need to opt in.
“This can be done when registering to vote, renewing your driver’s license or through the lieutenant governor’s website. Once you’ve opted in, your mail-in ballot status will remain active for eight years unless you fail to vote in two consecutive general elections.”
Utah voters who choose to vote by mail after 2029 will be required to provide the last four digits of their driver’s license, state ID or Social Security number on their ballot return envelope.
For those choosing to vote in-person, Behm warns, a valid ID will be necessary.
The county clerk emphasizes that the participation of every voter is vital to continuing the state’s democratic processes.
He advises county residents to stay informed about these voting changes; keep their required identification documents updated; and take the necessary steps to continue receiving mail-in ballots once the opt-in process begins in 2029 if that is their preferred voting method.