Section 1. It is proposed to amend Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 1 to readArticle VII, Section 1. [Executive Department officers -- Terms, residence, and duties.](1)The elective constitutional officers of the Executive Department shall consist of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor, State Treasurer, and Attorney General, and Secretary of State.(2)Each officer shall:(a)hold office for, except as provided in Subsection (3)(b), four years beginning on the first Monday of January next after their election;(b)during their terms of office reside within the state; and(c)perform such duties as are prescribed by this Constitution and as provided by statute.(3)(a)The election of the first Secretary of State after the adoption of Article VII, Section 22, shall occur at the general election in 2028.(b)The term of the Secretary of State elected in 2028 is two years beginning on the first Monday of January next after the election. Each subsequent term is four years beginning on the first Monday of January next after the election.

Section 2. It is proposed to amend Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 2 to readArticle VII, Section 2. [Election of officers -- Governor and Lieutenant Governor elected jointly.](1)The officers provided for in Article VII, Section 1 shall be elected by the qualified voters of the state at the time and place of voting for members of the Legislature. The candidates respectively having the highest number of votes cast for the office voted for shall be elected. If two or more candidates have an equal and the highest number of votes for any one of the offices, the two houses of the Legislature at its next session shall elect by joint ballot one of those candidates for that office.(2)In the election the names of the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor for each political party shall appear together on the ballot and the votes cast for a candidate for Governor shall be considered as also cast for the candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

Section 3. It is proposed to amend Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 3 to readArticle VII, Section 3. [Qualifications of officers.](1)To be eligible for the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor a person shall be 30 years of age or older at the time of election.(2)To be eligible for the office of Attorney General a person shall be 25 years of age or older, at the time of election, admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Utah, and in good standing at the bar.(3)To be eligible for the office of State Auditor, or State Treasurer, or Secretary of State a person shall be 25 years of age or older at the time of election.(4)No person is eligible to any of the offices provided for in Article VII, Section 1 unless at the time of election that person is a qualified voter and has been a resident citizen of the state for five years next preceding the election.

Section 4. It is proposed to amend Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 10 to readArticle VII, Section 10. [Governor's appointive power -- Governor to appoint to fill vacancy in other state offices -- Vacancy in the office of the Lieutenant Governor.](1)(a)The Governor shall nominate, and by and with consent of the Senate, appoint all State and district officers whose offices are established by this Constitution, or which may be created by law, and whose appointment or election is not otherwise provided for.(b)If, during the recess of the Senate, a vacancy occurs in any State or district office, the Governor shall appoint some qualified person to discharge the duties thereof until the next meeting of the Senate, when the Governor shall nominate some person to fill such office.(2)If the office of State Auditor, State Treasurer, or Attorney General, or Secretary of State be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Governor to fill the same by appointment, from the same political party as the removed person; and the appointee shall hold office until a successor shall be elected and qualified, as provided by law.(3)(a)A vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Governor occurs when:(i)the Lieutenant Governor dies, resigns, is removed from office following impeachment, becomes Governor under Article VII, Section 11, ceases to reside within the State, or is determined, as provided in Subsection (3)(b), to have a disability that renders the Lieutenant Governor unable to discharge the duties of office for the remainder of the Lieutenant Governor's term of office; or(ii)the Lieutenant Governor-elect fails to take office because of the Lieutenant Governor-elect's death, failure to qualify for office, or disability, determined as provided in Subsection (3)(b), that renders the Lieutenant Governor-elect unable to discharge the duties of office for the Lieutenant Governor-elect's full term of office.(b)(i)Except when the disability of a Lieutenant Governor is determined under Article VII, Section 11, Subsection (6) because the Lieutenant Governor is acting as Governor under Article VII, Section 11, Subsection (5), the disability of a Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant Governor-elect shall be determined by a written declaration stating that the Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant Governor-elect is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.(ii)The written declaration under Subsection (3)(b)(i) shall be transmitted to the Supreme Court and shall be signed by:(A)the Governor; or(B)(I)the Lieutenant Governor, if the Lieutenant Governor is the subject of the declaration; or(II)the Lieutenant Governor-elect, if the Lieutenant Governor-elect is the subject of the declaration.(iii)If the Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant Governor-elect, as the case may be, disputes a declaration transmitted by the Governor under Subsection (3)(b)(i), the Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant Governor-elect may, within ten days after the declaration is transmitted to the Supreme Court, file a petition requesting the Supreme Court to determine whether a disability exists as stated in the Governor's declaration.(iv)In determining whether a disability exists, the Supreme Court shall follow procedures that the Court establishes, unless the Legislature by statute establishes procedures for the Supreme Court to follow in determining whether a disability exists.(v)A determination of disability under this Subsection (3)(b) is final and conclusive.(c)(i)If a vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Governor occurs, the Governor shall, with the consent of the Senate, appoint a person as Lieutenant Governor, to serve:(A)except as provided in Subsection (3)(c)(i)(B), the remainder of the unexpired term; or(B)until the first Monday in January of the year following the next regular general election after the vacancy occurs, if an election is held for Governor and Lieutenant Governor under Article VII, Section 11, Subsection (4).(ii)The person appointed as Lieutenant Governor under Subsection (3)(c)(i) shall be from the same political party as the Governor.(iii)Neither the President of the Senate nor the Speaker of the House of Representatives may, while acting as Governor under Article VII, Section 11, Subsection (5), appoint a person as Lieutenant Governor to fill a vacancy in that office.

Section 5. It is proposed to amend Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 18 to readArticle VII, Section 18. [Compensation of state and local officers.](1)The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and any other state officer as the Legislature may provide, shall receive for their services a fixed and definite compensation as provided by law.(2)(a)The compensation provided for in Subsection (1) shall be in full for all services rendered by those officers in any official capacity or employment during their terms of office.(b)An officer may not receive for the performance of any official duty any fee for personal use, but all fees fixed by the Legislature for the performance by any of them of any official duty shall be collected in advance and deposited with the appropriate treasury.(c)The Legislature may provide for the payment of actual and necessary expenses of those officers while traveling in the performance of official duties.

Section 6. It is proposed to enact Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 22 to read:Article VII, Section 22. [Duties.]The Secretary of State shall:(1)oversee and generally supervise, as provided by statute, all elections, and functions relating to elections, in the state, except that the Legislature may, by statute, grant authority relating to elections to another state official when the Secretary of State has a conflict of interest in the exercise of that authority; and(2)perform other duties as may be provided by statute.

Section 7. Submittal to voters.The lieutenant governor is directed to submit this proposed amendment to the voters of the state at the next regular general election in the manner provided by law.

Section 8. Contingent effective date.If the amendment proposed by this joint resolution is approved by a majority of those voting on it at the next regular general election, the amendment shall take effect on January 1, 2027.