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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill creates the Electronic Voting Exploratory Commission.
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This bill:
12 ▸ creates the commission, addressing:
13 • membership;
14 • quorum requirements; and
15 • compensation for commission members;
16 ▸ requires the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to staff the
17 commission;
18 ▸ specifies duties of the commission; and
19 ▸ provides a repeal date.
20 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
21 None
22 Other Special Clauses:
23 None
24 Utah Code Sections Affected:
25 AMENDS:
26 63I-1-236, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 194
27 ENACTS:
28 36-29-109, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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30 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
31 Section 1. Section 36-29-109 is enacted to read:
32 36-29-109. Electronic Voting Exploratory Commission.
33 (1) As used in this section, "commission" means the Electronic Voting Exploratory
34 Commission created in this section.
35 (2) There is created the Electronic Voting Exploratory Commission consisting of the
36 following 12 members:
37 (a) the lieutenant governor or the lieutenant governor's designee;
38 (b) two members of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate, one from the
39 majority party and one from the minority party;
40 (c) two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the
41 House of Representatives, one from the majority party and one from the minority party;
42 (d) the chief innovation officer from the governor's office or the officer's designee;
43 (e) the chief information officer for the Division of Technology Services or the officer's
44 designee;
45 (f) the director of the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired or the
46 director's designee;
47 (g) the director of the Division of Services for People with Disabilities or the director's
48 designee;
49 (h) two county clerks, jointly appointed by the president of the Senate and the speaker
50 of the House of Representatives; and
51 (i) one individual from the Disability Law Center, jointly appointed by the president of
52 the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
53 (3) The president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives shall,
54 to the extent possible, appoint members under Subsections (2)(b) and (c) that represent both
55 rural and urban areas of the state.
56 (4) (a) The president of the Senate shall designate a member of the Senate appointed
57 under Subsection (2)(b) as a cochair of the commission.
58 (b) The speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a member of the House
59 of Representatives appointed under Subsection (2)(c) as a cochair of the commission.
60 (5) (a) A majority of the members of the commission constitute a quorum.
61 (b) The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes action of the commission.
62 (6) (a) Salaries and expenses of the members of the commission who are legislators
63 shall be paid in accordance with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, Chapter 3,
64 Legislator Compensation.
65 (b) A member of the commission who is not a legislator:
66 (i) may not receive compensation for the member's work associated with the
67 commission; and
68 (ii) may receive per diem and reimbursement for travel expenses incurred as a member
69 of the commission at the rates established by the Division of Finance under Sections
70 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107.
71 (7) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support
72 to the commission.
73 (8) The commission shall:
74 (a) study options to provide more accessibility for voters to vote privately and
75 independently at home;
76 (b) study the potential benefits and challenges of implementing electronic voting in
77 Utah;
78 (c) examine potential security weaknesses threatening the stability and accuracy of
79 electronic voting as well as possible mitigation strategies; and
80 (d) research potential applications of electronic voting as well as policy implications
81 that must be considered if Utah were to adopt electronic voting.
82 (9) The commission shall meet quarterly.
83 (10) The commission shall, before November 30, 2023, present the commission's
84 findings and any recommendations related to the duties of the commission, for review and
85 input to the Government Operations Interim Committee.
86 Section 2. Section 63I-1-236 is amended to read:
87 63I-1-236. Repeal dates, Title 36.
88 (1) Title 36, Chapter 17, Legislative Process Committee, is repealed January 1, 2023.
89 (2) Section 36-12-20 is repealed June 30, 2023.
90 (3) Title 36, Chapter 28, Veterans and Military Affairs Commission, is repealed
91 January 1, 2025.
92 [
93 [
94 15, 2023.
95 [
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97 (5) Section 36-29-109, Electronic Voting Exploratory Commission, is repealed January
98 1, 2024.