Utah
Should the deadline for by-mail ballots be changed in Utah? Why Utah lawmakers put a proposal on hold
A bill requiring mailed-in ballots to be in the hands of election officials before the polls close on Election Day in order to be counted was put on hold Monday by the Utah Legislature’s House Government Operations Committee.
Utah law currently says mail-in ballots are valid as long as they’re “clearly postmarked before Election Day” and show up before noon on the day of the official canvass of the vote that usually comes two weeks later.
The sponsor of the bill, HB214, Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, said that makes Utah an “outlier.” He called for a “move from a complicated and difficult to explain system” to one that shifts the responsibility to voters “for making sure their vote gets in on time.”
Thurston told the committee his bill would give Utahns more confidence in elections.
“I believe that we do have a lot of questions out there about the integrity of our elections. Not that I think that they are problematic, but I think there is a perception that they are problematic. There’s a lot of people that think there’s a possibility of fraud,” he said.
But for more than hour committee members heard largely critical testimony about the change, including its impact on rural as well as disabled Utahns who count on being able to mail in their ballots the Monday before an election.
“Utahns all across the state see this as a proposal to disenfranchise voters, especially from rural communities,” said TJ Ellerbeck, executive director of the non-profit Rural Utah Project involved in civic engagement and a member of a coalition of like-minded organizations.
Ellerbeck said more than 4,000 Utahns have signed a coalition petition urging lawmakers not to make any election changes, with one Moab woman concerned the bill would “make voters responsible for something over which they have no control,” when mail arrives.
Everette Bacon, president of the National Federation of the Blind Utah, said “people with disabilities love mail-in voting” because it can be difficult to get to a polling location and find out about assistance.
Bacon said he fears people with disabilities won’t be aware of a change from a set deadline for mailing in ballots, since Thurston’s bill does not include funding to promote the new responsibility for voters.
Only one of Utah’s 29 county clerks backed the bill, Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson.
“The mail-in balloting, it actually should have been drop box return balloting to try to encourage the voter to use the drop box rather than the mail-in balloting process,” Davidson said, citing “chain of custody” issues with ballots that arrive in the mail.
Utah County has already decided not to pay for some $110,000 in return postage for primary and general election ballots, he said, money that could be spent on more drop boxes.
“It’s not necessarily trying to disenfranchise voters, but it’s making them know that’s an option and if they want that option, they have to pay for it,” Davidson said of the bill. “And they’ve got to comply with the rules and mail it in a lot earlier.”
Utah Eagle Forum’s Whit Cook said the change would help keep elections “simple and sweet.” Cook said if Utahns “take our voting system seriously, our process seriously, then perhaps … they should take that extra effort to make sure that they post it on time.”
Several opponents of the bill pointed to Utah’s vote-by-mail elections as a model for the nation. Efforts to return to in-person only voting have failed to advance in previous sessions of the Utah Legislature
“We shouldn’t take Utah backwards. We are a national leader and our voter participation is growing,” ACLU of Utah campaign director Billy Palmer said. “Utahns love and trust vote by mail.”
Before the committee voted to hold the bill rather than send it to the full House, it was amended to change the effective day from May 1 to Jan. 1, 2025, so the election already underway would not be affected.
Rep. Cory Maloy, R-Lehi, initially proposed sending the bill back to the House Rules Committee because “we’ve heard there are some grave concerns” that are seen as “really shaking things up” for some Utahns.
Thurston, however, moved that his bill instead be held by the committee so members could incorporate ways to make by-mail voting “easier” for rural Utahns as well as those with disabilities.
“This could be the bill to do that. We could work on this all together,” the bill’s sponsor said, along with state and local election officials “to come up with a package that we can then move forward.”
Utah
Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.
A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.
He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.
MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche
In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.
“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.
A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.
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Utah
911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas
CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.
LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.
Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.
The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.
MORE | Murder-Suicide
Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.
10:33 a.m. — Call 1
After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.
Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.
“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”
11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3
As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.
“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”
11:26 a.m. — Call 4
Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.
“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”
She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.
Police indicated officers were on the way.
2:26 p.m. — Call 5
Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.
Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.
“They found a note on the door.”
2:35 p.m. — Call 6
Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.
“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”
A dispatcher responded:
“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”
2:36 p.m. — Call 7
Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:
“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”
2:39 p.m. — Call 8
Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.
“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”
He repeats the details he knows for the second time.
3:13 p.m. — Call 9
Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.
“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”
Dispatch responded:
“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”
4:05 p.m. — Call 10
More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.
“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”
The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.
Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.
The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.
5:23 p.m. — Call 11
Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.
“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”
She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.
Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference
Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Utah
Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”
Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.
“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.
Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.
“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.
2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:
- Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
- Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
- Does it support a ban from classrooms?
Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.
“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.
MORE | Utah State Legislature:
Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.
“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.
“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.
The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.
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