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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This bill requires the lieutenant governor to conduct a study on public funding of
11 political campaigns.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This bill:
14 ▸ requires the lieutenant governor to conduct a study on public funding of political
15 campaigns;
16 ▸ describes requirements for the study; and
17 ▸ requires the lieutenant governor to present the study to the Government Operations
18 Interim Committee.
19 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
20 None
21 Other Special Clauses:
22 None
23 Utah Code Sections Affected:
24 AMENDS:
25 63I-2-267, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2013, Chapter 278
26 67-1a-14, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapter 348
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28 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
29 Section 1. Section 63I-2-267 is amended to read:
30 63I-2-267. Repeal dates -- Title 67.
31 Subsections 67-1a-14(4) through (6) are repealed on July 1, 2021.
32 Section 2. Section 67-1a-14 is amended to read:
33 67-1a-14. Studies -- Report.
34 (1) As used in this section, "petition" means a petition to:
35 (a) qualify a ballot proposition for the ballot under Title 20A, Chapter 7, Issues
36 Submitted to the Voters;
37 (b) organize and register a political party under Title 20A, Chapter 8, Political Party
38 Formation and Procedures; or
39 (c) qualify a candidate for the ballot under Title 20A, Chapter 9, Candidate
40 Qualifications and Nominating Procedures.
41 (2) The lieutenant governor, in consultation with a county clerk and municipal clerk,
42 shall study a way that a registered voter may sign a petition on the Internet and receive
43 information about the petition on the Internet.
44 (3) The study shall evaluate:
45 (a) how to sign a petition on the Internet using a holographic signature that is in an
46 electronic format maintained by a government agency;
47 (b) the security, development, ownership, management, format, and content of a secure
48 Internet portal or website on which a registered voter may sign a petition;
49 (c) the security measures necessary to:
50 (i) verify the identity of a registered voter who signs a petition on the Internet; and
51 (ii) insure the integrity of a signature;
52 (d) changes to the process of collecting, verifying, and certifying a signature, if the
53 signature is collected on the Internet;
54 (e) whether verification is necessary for signatures collected on the Internet;
55 (f) which election official should be responsible for the certification of signatures
56 collected on the Internet;
57 (g) whether signatures on a petition should be public information;
58 (h) the removal process of a signature collected on the Internet;
59 (i) what percentage of signatures should be collected on the Internet or in person,
60 statewide or by Senate district;
61 (j) what information regarding the petition should be available on the secure Internet
62 portal or website, including who may submit the information and by what deadline information
63 should be submitted;
64 (k) the time the lieutenant governor, county clerk, or municipal clerk may spend
65 certifying a petition if a registered voter is allowed to sign a petition on the Internet;
66 (l) the processes, if any, that exists in other states to allow a registered voter to sign a
67 petition on the Internet; and
68 (m) any other issue related to allowing a registered voter to sign a petition on the
69 Internet.
70 (4) The lieutenant governor shall conduct a study regarding public funding of political
71 campaigns.
72 (5) The study described in Subsection (4) shall include information on, and an analysis
73 of, the following:
74 (a) the different methods for public funding of campaigns used by states and
75 municipalities and other methods that have been suggested in scholarly articles or other
76 publications;
77 (b) the funding sources and methods used in states and municipalities, or that have
78 been suggested for use, to publicly fund campaigns;
79 (c) the pros and cons of:
80 (i) publicly funding campaigns; and
81 (ii) the methods described in Subsections (5)(a) and (b);
82 (d) how public funding of campaigns might be used in Utah statewide, for only
83 municipalities, or as a pilot program for certain jurisdictions;
84 (e) the potential costs of requiring, or permitting, public funding of campaigns; and
85 (f) other matters that the lieutenant governor determines to be useful in considering the
86 public funding of campaigns in Utah.
87 (6) The lieutenant governor shall present the study described in Subsections (4) and (5)
88 to the Government Operations Interim Committee before July 1, 2021.