In the days since Utah’s top election official sent letters to more than 300,000 Utahns who previously opted to keep their voter registration records private, warning them their personal information is about to become public, questions and panic over the change have flooded social media platforms.

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson mailed the notices earlier this month, informing voters that under the recently passed SB153, most voters’ data currently classified as “private” or “withheld” will be publicly accessible to anyone willing to pay a hefty fee beginning May 25.

Critics say the new state law puts vulnerable residents at risk, and that voters who sought privacy protections are right to be concerned.

The change coincides with sweeping efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to obtain the entirety of state voter databases as he continues to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud. Henderson has resisted the move, embroiling her in a legal battle with the Justice Department.

Read Emily Anderson Stern and Sydney Jezik’s full story at sltrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.