Signed by Governor Gary Herbert

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that establishes a system that posts the names of initiative petition signers online, and places a 30 day deadline for signed petition packets.

Highlights:

• Requires each voter who signs a ballot initiative petition to put the correct date of signature next to their name (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes a voter who has signed an initiative petition to have their signature removed by submitting a statement to the county clerk requesting their removal before 5:00 pm on December 1, or (Sec. 3):

• 30 days after the day on which the voter signs the signature removal statement; or

• 90 days after the day on which the county clerk posts the voters name to the database.

• Authorizes a voter who has signed an initiative petition to have their signature removed by submitting a statement to the county clerk requesting their removal after 5:00 pm on December 1, or (Sec. 3):

• 30 days after the day on which the voter signs the signature removal statement; or

• 45 days after the day on which the county clerk posts the voters name to the database.

• Specifies that in order to increase the likelihood of a voter’s name of being identified and removed, the statement may include the voter’s birth date or age (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes the county clerk to use the following procedures in determining whether to remove a signature from a petition after receiving a timely, valid statement requesting removal, including, but not limited to (Sec. 6):

• If both the name and address shown on the statement and petition match or are substantially similar, then the signature will be removed;

• When the address and name do not match, the signature will be removed if:

• The birth date or age on the statement and petition match the birth date or age of an individual on the official register; or

• The signature on both the statement and petition appears substantially similar to the signature on the statewide voter registration database.

• If the signature does not meet the above mentioned standards then the signature does not qualify for removal and may not be removed from the petition.

• Requires the Lieutenant governor, within 14 days upon receiving the initiative packet from a county clerk, to update on the lieutenant governor’s website the number of signatures certified as of the date of the update (Sec. 7).

• Specifies that it will be a class A misdemeanor for an individual to sign a petition with any other name other than the individual’s own name (Sec. 9).

Full Bill Text