Utah

Should the deadline for by-mail ballots be changed in Utah? Why Utah lawmakers put a proposal on hold

Published

2 years ago

January 22, 2024

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.”

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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized

Published

10 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized

A Utah mother allegedly kidnapped her autistic son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up.

Shannon Tufuga, 40, was slapped with kidnapping charges Monday after she rolled up on her son’s 11-year-old bully while he was riding his bike around his neighborhood in early September, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com.

Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged.

Shannon Tufuga allegedly kidnapped her son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up. Facebook

She allegedly hightailed it back to her home in Provo, Utah, and kept the boy there until he apologized to her son.

The boy readily apologized, but even then, the vengeful mom wouldn’t let up, according to the police report. She “threatened to have her husband beat up” the accused bully and sneered that he “was lucky she did not run over his bike,” the documents alleged.

Tufuga eventually drove the shell-shocked boy back to his home.

The alleged kidnapping caused the boy “serious emotional distress” over the following months, and he now suffers from “high anxiety and has had to alter his daily routines significantly,” according to the charging documents.

Tufuga was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, both as second-degree felonies. The charges were lowered from first-degree felonies after the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined that a “reduction would be in the interests of justice.”

Tufuga’s son is on the autism spectrum, according to a post on her Facebook.

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors

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22 hours ago

March 23, 2026

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors

The Utah Jazz are set to face off against the Toronto Raptors to kick off their new week for their second of two meetings across this season, where the Jazz in particular have ruled out a total of seven names on their injury report.

Here’s what the injury landscape looks like for the Jazz and Raptors rolling into the night:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

QUESTIONABLE – Cody Williams (shoulder)

It’s much of the same from what the Jazz have been dealing with across the past couple of weeks.

Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen still remain out with their minor injuries that they’ve suffered past the All-Star break, and Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic remain out for the year with their respective season-ending injuries.

However, the two names that stick out on this injury report against the Raptors in particular are their two first round picks from the 2024 NBA Draft; Isaiah Collier who’s out with a hamstring injury, while Cody Williams is the latest to be among those listed with a shoulder issue.

For Collier, it’s set to be a third-straight game that he’s been out due to what’s been labeled hamstring soreness, and thus leave the Jazz without both their starting and second-string point guard for the night.

That could lead to either two-way signee Elijah Harkless getting a starting nod for a second straight game following his elevation against the Philadelphia 76ers, or that spot could go to 10-day signing Kennedy Chandler, who played 35 minutes in that same game for a career-high 19 points in his team debut.

Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As for Williams, he’s been downgraded to questionable for the action due to shoulder soreness; something that could leave him still able to go before tip-off, but remains to be seen based on how he feels before gametime.

The second-year forward has been on a hot streak as of late. In his past five games, he’s averaged an impressive 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 50.0% from the field throughout.

If Williams is out of the mix, it’ll leave their frontcourt a bit more shorthanded from what they’ve been used to across the past couple of weeks, and might lead to even more minutes for guys like 10-day signee Bez Mbeng and two-way big man Oscar Tshiebwe to fill those minutes.

Toronto Raptors Injury Report

OUT – Immanuel Quickley (foot)

OUT – Jakob Poeltl (rest)

QUESTIONABLE – Collin Murray-Boyles (illness)

When it comes to the Raptors, they’ll be without a couple of guys on their roster, Immanuel Quickley who’s slated to miss out due to a foot injury, while Jakob Poeltl won’t be playing for Toronto’s second leg of a back-to-back following their previous battle against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Collin Murray-Boyles, on the other hand, has been upgraded to questionable against the Jazz with an illness after previously being out against the Nuggets over the weekend.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Raptors lands at 9 p.m. MT in the Delta Center, where Toronto will have their chance at a 2-0 series sweep over Utah depending on the results.

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POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth

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