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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah updates electronic signature rules for initiatives, referenda, and candidate petitions
Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsors: Jordan Teuscher and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill sets phased-in minimum quotas for electronically gathered signatures on initiative and s, culminating in a complete transition to electronic collection by January 1, 2032. It requires electronic signature-gathering devices to be capable of scanning voter identification and operating offline starting January 1, 2028, and mandates annual reports from the lieutenant governor to the Government Operations Interim Committee through 2031.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
initiative petition sponsors
Petition sponsors must adopt electronic signature-gathering tools and meet escalating percentage quotas leading to a complete phase-out of manual paper collection by 2032.
referendum petition sponsors
Referendum sponsors are subject to the same phased electronic signature thresholds and eventual ban on manual paper sheets as initiative sponsors.
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
The office must approve electronic devices, establish security protocols, manage system access, and submit annual reports to the legislative committee through 2031.
county clerks
County clerks must verify electronic signatures and adhere to new statutory deadlines and evaluation procedures.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does manual paper signature collection end for initiatives and referendums?
What percentage of signatures must be collected electronically before the total ban on paper begins?
Who must receive annual reports regarding the transition to electronic signatures?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
51 actions- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ filed
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ strike enacting clause
- Mar 5, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0223S04
- Mar 5, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0223S04
- Mar 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0223S04
- Mar 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0223S04
Show 45 earlier actions
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ failed
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ substituted
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 27, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0223S03
- Feb 26, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0223S03
- Feb 26, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0223S02
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0223S03
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0223S03
- Feb 25, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0223S02
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0223S02
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0223S02
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 12, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 10, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 9, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 9, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ substituted
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ uncircled
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ circled
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 9, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0223S01
- Feb 9, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0223S01
- Feb 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0223S01
- Feb 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0223S01
- Jan 30, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Jan 30, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 26, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 23, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0223
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 17, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0223
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0223
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0223
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Phased Elimination of Paper Signatures
The state is systematically replacing paper petition circulation with mandatory electronic signature collection milestones, culminating in a full digital mandate by 2032.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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