# Utah H.B. 361: Elections Provisions Amendments Utah H.B. 361, Elections Provisions Amendments, is a 2026 General Session House bill sponsored by Lisa Shepherd (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-24 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB361-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah H.B. 361 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Elections Provisions Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-23 - Last action: 2026-03-24, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Lisa Shepherd (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Election Law, Voting and Voter Registration, Government Operations (State Issues), Election Administration, Lieutenant Governor, Political Parties, Notice Requirements - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 8 (189 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 23 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Advance notices for military and overseas voters: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, election officers must meet notice requirements for covered military and overseas elections at least 100 calendar days beforehand. They must meet a separate set of requirements by the last business day at least 45 calendar days before the election. Any different timing in the… - Ballots stop displaying election officials’ names: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, ballots and return envelopes cannot display election officers’ or county clerks’ names as officials. Officials can still appear on ballots as candidates. Ballot certifications use the election officer’s title instead of a name, including on municipal ballots. Return envel… - Clerks must promptly remove deceased voters: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, county clerks must remove deceased voters from the register within five business days after receiving confirmation. Confirmation can come from state vital records, the lieutenant governor, Social Security Administration data, or another reliable source clearly identifying the… - Election reports use updated reporting methods: benefit, low. Officials calculate the reported ballot-count ratio by dividing ballots counted by active voters as of the Friday before election day. Election-day registrants are no longer added to that denominator; their ballots are not excluded by this reporting change. Officials can publish cast vote records i… - General election voters get coordinated notices: benefit, low. In even-numbered years, the lieutenant governor must publish 30-calendar-day candidate and statewide ballot-question notices by August’s last business day. County 30-day notices include relevant races, county and school board candidates, ballot names, and local ballot questions. County publication… - Local candidates get set filing windows: benefit, low. Municipal candidate filing starts at 8 a.m. on June’s first business day. It ends at 5 p.m. on the fourth business day after opening, or the next business day if that day is Friday. Special districts use that municipal window for municipal general elections and the same June timing for regular gene… - Local voters get advance election notices: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, municipal election officers must publish class A public notices at least 32 calendar days before primary and general elections. Special districts must also publish general-election notices and primary notices when holding a primary that year. Notices must stay available throu… - Local voters get candidate filing notices: benefit, low. Municipalities and special districts must announce offices up for election and candidate filing periods, using the applicable election notice rules. In odd-numbered years, they must send office lists to affected county clerks by February’s first business day. They must publish class A notices for 3… - Local voters get election cancellation notices: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, municipalities that cancel elections must notify relevant counties and the lieutenant governor’s office. The same rule covers special districts canceling elections in odd-numbered years. They must publish a class A public notice no earlier than the day after the municipal wri… - Pilot elections follow standard municipal rules: benefit, low. Municipal Alternate Voting Methods Pilot Project elections now follow ordinary municipal candidate filing and nomination-petition rules, with remaining statutory exceptions. Standard municipal paper and machine ballot requirements also apply to the pilot’s instant-runoff races. Officials must apply… - Primary voters get published candidate lists: benefit, low. County clerks must publish primary candidate information within two business days after receiving the lieutenant governor’s notice, for 30 calendar days. It includes relevant races and ballot names but excludes candidates unopposed in the regular primary. In even-numbered years, districts holding q… - Utah checks voter lists against death records: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, the lieutenant governor must share received Social Security Administration death records with county clerks. Ninety calendar days before each primary and general election, the office must compare death records against the official voter register. The comparison uses state vit… - Voters get published local candidate lists: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, municipal and special district clerks must send county clerks qualified candidates, by office, for municipal general-election ballots. Municipal officers must also send qualified local ballot measures. Both must publish candidate lists as class A public notices for 30 calenda… - Voters get updated early voting locations: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, officials must provide early voting dates, times, locations, and updates through listed websites, phone numbers, and addresses. Changed or added locations must be announced as soon as reasonably possible. Officials must post notices at new locations and, when possible, at old… - Voters see running mates together: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, candidates campaigning as joint-ticket running mates must appear together as one ticket on the ballot. This covers governor and lieutenant governor candidates, and president and vice president candidates. - Illegal state seal use brings felony: cost, medium. Illegally using or defacing Utah’s Great Seal is a third-degree felony. The law places custody of the seal with the lieutenant governor and allows the Director of Elections to set seal-use rules. - Party candidates face filing and disclosure deadlines: cost, low. Candidates from registered parties that are not qualified parties must file in January instead of under the former April deadline. In even-numbered election years, filing runs from 8 a.m. on January’s first business day through 5 p.m. on its fifth. Unaffiliated and write-in candidates follow separa… - Candidates can request familiar ballot names: mixed, low. Candidates can request ballot name variations known in their county, including middle names, initials, name order, surnames, suffixes, and nicknames. Written requests are due by 5 p.m. on the last day of candidate filing. Maiden names, spouses’ surnames, and parents’ or stepparents’ surnames requir… - Congressional candidates face special 2026 rules: mixed, low. For 2026, qualified-party U.S. representative candidates must collect 7,000 signatures from registered Utah voters eligible for that party’s primary. Notices of intent open at 8 a.m. on January’s first business day; notices and signatures are due March 13, 2026, at 5 p.m. Candidates seeking qualifi… - Party nomination rules cover more candidates: mixed, low. Qualified-party rules now include federal and statewide constitutional candidates filing through the two covered nomination routes. A party cannot hold a primary when exactly one candidate qualifies through either route and none through the other. That candidate goes directly to the regular general… - Senate vacancies follow new election deadlines: mixed, low. These rules cover Utah Senate vacancies after filing closes in even-numbered years when the seat’s term does not expire. Before August’s last business day, the lieutenant governor must set a filing deadline within 21 calendar days after the vacancy. That deadline must precede sending the required i… - Uncontested local elections can be canceled: mixed, low. Municipalities and special districts can cancel an election only when it has no contested races or ballot questions. Their governing bodies must adopt resolutions during the statutory cancellation period; uncontested candidates are then elected. Officials can no longer cancel just one race. For eve… - Voters get mail ballot transition notices: mixed, low. Each mailed ballot must include a separate paper notice. For November 5, 2025–December 31, 2028, it includes identification warnings and explains that mailed ballots require requests starting in 2029. Beginning January 1, 2029, the notice includes the mailed-ballot identification warning. Address-c… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Lisa Shepherd (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Ronald M. Winterton (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension | pass | 27 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | House | House/ concurs with Senate amendment | pass | 63 | 1 | | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 6 | 0 | | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 6 | 0 | | | 2026-02-27 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 67 | 0 | | | 2026-02-25 | House | House Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 10 | 0 | | | 2026-02-25 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 10 | 0 | | ## Actions (41) - 2026-03-24: Governor Signed - 2026-03-16: House/ to Governor (House) - 2026-03-16: House/ received enrolled bill from Printing (House) - 2026-03-12: House/ enrolled bill to Printing (House) - 2026-03-12: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-03-10: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-03-10: Bill Received from House for Enrolling - 2026-03-07: House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling (House) - 2026-03-07: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-06: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ concurs with Senate amendment (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ placed on Concurrence Calendar (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ to House with amendments (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-03-03: Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-03-02: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-02: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-02-27: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-27: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-26: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-02-26: House/ comm rpt/ substituted (House) - 2026-02-25: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-25: House Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-02-17: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-01-30: House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (House) - 2026-01-26: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-01-26: House/ received bill from Legislative Research (House) - 2026-01-23: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-12: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0361.pdf) - Substitute #5, 2026-03-04: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S05.pdf) - Substitute #4, 2026-03-03: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S04.pdf) - Substitute #3, 2026-02-25: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S03.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-02-24: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S01.pdf) - Substitute #2, 2026-02-24: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S02.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-01-23: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0361.pdf) - [Substitute #5 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S05.pdf) - [Substitute #4 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S04.pdf) - [Substitute #3 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S03.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S01.pdf) - [Substitute #2 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361S02.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0361.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB220-2026GS) - [Utah bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah/bills) - [Utah state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB361-2026GS (as of 2026-10-19).