S.B. 125 Enrolled

1

HIGH SCHOOL VOTER REGISTRATION
2 2008 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Chief Sponsor: Kevin T. VanTassell
5 House Sponsor: John G. Mathis
6
7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill modifies the Election Code by amending certain provisions for registering high
10 school seniors to vote.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This bill:
13 . repeals the requirement that school districts and accredited nonpublic schools
14 provide an estimate to the county clerk of the number of students who are 17 years
15 old;
16 . allows, rather than requires, the county clerk to provide by-mail voter registration
17 forms to high schools;
18 . allows, rather than requires, high schools to include the forms in senior registration
19 packets, collect the forms, and forward them to the county clerk;
20 . repeals the requirement that public school districts and accredited nonpublic schools
21 provide voter registration forms to students; and
22 . makes technical changes.
23 Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
24 None
25 Other Special Clauses:
26 None
27 Utah Code Sections Affected:
28 AMENDS:
29 20A-2-301, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2006, Chapter 264

30 20A-2-302, as last amended by Laws of Utah 1997, Chapter 79
31
32 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
33 Section 1. Section 20A-2-301 is amended to read:
34 20A-2-301. County clerk responsibilities -- Voter registration forms.
35 (1) Each county clerk shall provide book voter registration forms and by-mail voter
36 registration forms for use in the voter registration process.
37 (2) (a) Each county clerk shall:
38 [(a)] (i) designate certain offices within the county to provide by-mail voter registration
39 forms to the public; and
40 (ii) provide by-mail voter registration forms to each public assistance agency and
41 discretionary voter registration agency[; and].
42 (b) Each county clerk may provide copies of by-mail voter registration forms to public
43 school districts and nonpublic schools as provided in Section 20A-2-302 .
44 (3) (a) Each regular general election year, the county clerk shall make by-mail voter
45 registration forms available to the political parties as provided in this Subsection (3).
46 (b) The county clerk shall set aside by-mail registration forms equal to 10% of the
47 number of registered voters in the county as of January 1 of that regular general election year
48 for allocation to political parties.
49 (c) The forms shall be allocated to the respective political parties in each county as
50 follows:
51 (i) Ninety percent of the forms shall be made available on an equal basis to all parties
52 who had any candidate who polled 10% or more of the vote for any partisan office in the last
53 regular general election.
54 (ii) Ten percent of the forms shall be made available on an equal basis to all other
55 parties who qualify for a position on the ballot for the next regular general election.
56 (4) Candidates, parties, organizations, and interested persons may purchase by-mail
57 voter registration forms from the county clerk or from the printer.

58 (5) (a) The clerk shall make book voter registration forms available to interested
59 organizations in lots of 250, to be replaced when each lot of 200 is returned to the county clerk.
60 (b) Interested organizations that receive book voter registration forms from the county
61 clerk shall return them to the county clerk on or before the voter registration deadline.
62 (6) The county clerk may not refuse to register any person to vote for failing to provide
63 a telephone number on the voter registration form.
64 (7) (a) It is unlawful for any person to willfully fail or refuse to deliver completed voter
65 registration forms, obtained as provided in this section, to the county clerk.
66 (b) A person who violates this Subsection (7) is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
67 Section 2. Section 20A-2-302 is amended to read:
68 20A-2-302. Voter registration forms for high school students.
69 [(1) Annually, the school board of each local public school district and the authorities in
70 charge of each accredited nonpublic school shall provide to the county clerk an estimate of how
71 many students are 17 years old.]
72 [(2)] (1) (a) The county clerk [shall] may:
73 (i) contact each high school and each accredited nonpublic high [schools of] school in
74 the county;
75 (ii) determine the number of high school seniors; and
76 (iii) distribute [an equal number of] by-mail voter registration forms to each accredited
77 public or private high school in an amount sufficient for distribution to each high school senior.
78 (b) The county clerk shall keep on file the returned high school student by-mail voter
79 registration forms until the applicant turns 18 years old and then register the applicant to vote.
80 [(3)] (2) Each public school and accredited nonpublic school [shall] may:
81 (a) include the by-mail voter registration form in the senior registration packet; and
82 (b) collect and forward completed by-mail voter registration forms to the county clerk.