Key Takeaways

• The task of maintaining the voter register in Utah is the responsibility of the state's lieutenant governor and county clerks.

• County clerks must remove the name of deceased voters from the voter roll within five business days of being notified.

• The National Change of Address database is reviewed quarterly and used to update county voter roll in Utah.

Introduction

• In the United States, states are primarily responsible for creating policies on election administration. This political landscape, in turn, creates a situation where different US states have varying rules and policies regarding how they treat election matters, such as conducting elections, maintaining the voter register, and deciding eligibility rules.

• In Utah, the task of maintaining the voter register is primarily a function of the state's lieutenant governor and county clerks. The lieutenant governor is responsible for developing a statewide voter registration database, while the county clerks are responsible for registering, updating, and removing voters from the voter register.

When a Voter Moves

• The process of maintaining the voter roll whenever a voter moves or changes address is initiated by the county clerk upon receiving a notice. This notice may be in various forms, such as (1) the voter confirms in writing to the county clerk that they have moved outside the county, (2) the lieutenant governor notifies the county clerk of a change in a registered voter's principal place of residence, (3) another state notifies the county clerk that the voter has moved to the state, (4) or through a review of the National Change of Address database.

• After the notice of a change of address has been received by the county clerk, the county clerk will then designate the voter as "inactive" and proceed to mail them a forwardable confirmation notice. If the voter's new address is confirmed to be in the county, the county clerk updates the voters' register with the voter's new address and sends a notice of reactivation to the voter within 30 days. If the voter moved outside the county, the voter's status remains "inactive."

 

Source

 

• According to the immediate past county clerk of Utah County, Amelia Powers Gardner, the National Change of Address database is reviewed regularly and used to update the county's voter roll quarterly.

When a Voter is Incarcerated or Released

• The process of maintaining the voter roll whenever a voter is incarcerated or released is initiated by the lieutenant governor upon receiving a notice.

• According to the Utah State Legislature, the lieutenant governor is responsible for maintaining a current list of all incarcerated felons in Utah. The Department of Corrections is responsible for furnishing the lieutenant governor with an updated list of all voters convicted of a felony in a Utah state court and all voters that are currently incarcerated in the state.

• The frequency by which the list is to be updated is determined by the lieutenant governor.

• Upon receipt of the names of recently incarcerated voters in Utah, the lieutenant governor will forward the names and last known addresses of recently convicted felons and those recently released to their respective county clerks.

 

Source

 

• Upon the receipt of notification from the lieutenant governor, the county clerk updates the voter roll.

When a Voter is Deceased

• The process of maintaining the voter roll whenever a voter becomes deceased is initiated by the county clerk upon receiving a notice.

• According to the Utah State Legislature, the county clerk must remove the name of a voter from the voter roll upon being notified by the Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Records that the voter is officially deceased.

 

Source

 

• The county clerk must act to remove the names of such voters within five business days of being notified of the voter's death by the Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Records.

• According to the immediate past county clerk of Utah County, Amelia Powers Gardner, records and notifications from the Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Records for deceased voters are reviewed on a weekly basis.

Research Strategy