Utah voters may soon need to prove they’re American citizens before casting a ballot, part of a revised election bill that would also sever the state’s ties with a multi-state voter fraud prevention database.
The proposed legislation would have Utah join Arizona in requiring proof of citizenship to receive a regular ballot. Those who can't provide such proof would be limited to voting only in federal elections.
The bill, HB332, is sponsored by Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, the third-ranking Republican in the Utah House. Beyond the citizenship requirements, it would force Utah to withdraw from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), following a trend of Republican-led states abandoning the voter data sharing system amid unfounded conspiracy theories.
If they can prove citizenship, they would receive a regular ballot. If they can’t prove they are citizens, they would only be able to vote in federal elections, which aligns with Supreme Court precedent.
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There are several documents voters can use to prove they are citizens, including a driver’s license, passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers.
According to the Voting Rights Lab, Utah would become the 21st state to introduce legislation this year requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
In the version passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month, Utah would be required to withdraw from ERIC by July 6. The state could then enter into data sharing agreements with other states to maintain its voter roles.
Before it was approved by the House, Lisonbee stripped a controversial provision out of the legislation allowing the state to work with an outside company to find errors in the voter rolls, but only if that company used “quantum technology.”
That provision appeared to be tailored specifically for Jay Valentine and his company Fractal. Valentine, who has ties to several prominent election conspiracy theorists like Sidney Powell and Mike Lindell, has been peddling his “fractal quantum technology” to states that have withdrawn from ERIC as a substitute.
