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2025 bills / S.B. 53

S.B. 53 Election Code Amendments (2025)

Became lawWritten by Sen. Calvin R. Musselman · carried in the House by Rep. Stephanie Gricius

  1. Introduced
  2. Senate committee
  3. Senate vote
  4. House committee
  5. House vote
  6. Signed into law

What this bill does

AI summary from the official description

The bill removes the requirement that petition signature-gatherers for new political parties and party nomination candidates live in Utah. It also shortens from 60 to 30 days the time incorporation petition sponsors have to set certain features of a new city government, and makes several smaller election-procedure changes, including how vote totals are sent to the lieutenant governor.

About this summary

Quotes come from the official recordings' automatic captions, and plain-English summaries are written by AI from the official record. A person reviews them, but always check the recording before quoting anyone; every quote links to its moment in the video.

Check the official text below.

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Official description
  • standardizes language related to a voter who, after signing a petition, seeks to remove the voter's signature from the petition
  • reduces the amount of time that the sponsors of a petition for incorporation that passes have to determine certain features of the new municipal government from 60 to 30 days
  • clarifies the deadline for a candidate for mayor or municipal council of a newly incorporating municipality to file a declaration of candidacy
  • clarifies that the county clerk determines whether to remove a voter's signature from a petition for incorporation of a municipality
  • repeals the in-state residency requirement for a signature-gatherer who circulates a petition on behalf of:
  • an organization of registered voters seeking to become a registered political party; or
  • a candidate for elective office seeking the nomination of a registered or qualified political party
  • repeals provisions related to the in-state residency requirement described above
  • for a regular primary or presidential primary election, or for certain regular general or statewide special elections, requires a board of canvassers to immediately transmit to the lieutenant governor certain vote total information
  • eliminates the requirement that a board of canvassers make the transmission described above by telephone, fax, or mail
  • establishes a process for a voter who signs a petition on behalf of a candidate for elective office seeking the nomination of a registered political party to have the voter's signature removed from the petition
  • makes technical and conforming changes
Full text and history on le.utah.gov →

Your legislators on this bill

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Take action

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What members get
  • An alert the day S.B. 53 is put on a committee agenda, with time and room, so you can be there to speak
  • When S.B. 53 is rewritten, exactly which words changed
  • Its hearings in your own calendar
  • Your own scorecard: pick the side you favor and see how every legislator voted

Every vote

Hearings and debates