Utah state legislators are considering a bill that would change the state’s popular voting by mail system to require ballots received by mail to be dropped off at designated polling locations, a move that will likely disenfranchise the Native communities who live in rural areas.

Utah is notable for being one of two vote-by-mail states won by President Donald Trump in 2024. Residents in the state receive a ballot and then mail it back to be counted, giving the state a slightly higher rate in voter turnout than the U.S. average.

But unwarranted skepticism over voting by mail by Republican lawmakers has resulted in the crafting of House Bill 300, a measure that would effectively end the system and require an in-person method of voting instead.

Under the proposal authored by Republican State Rep. Jefferson Burton, residents would still have election ballots sent to them through the mail. However, the bill would require voters to physically return a ballot to a drop box or municipal building, both of which have to be staffed by poll workers who will be required to examine a person’s approved voter identification.

The bill advanced out of the House Government Operations Committee two weeks ago, amid objections from voting rights groups and Democratic legislators. It may receive consideration soon within the full House, although it is currently being negotiated further.

Voters could still send their completed........

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