Utah proposal requiring proof of citizenship to vote moves forward

A bill seeking to further restrict non-U.S. citizens from voting in state and local elections advanced on Utah’s Capitol Hill on Wednesday despite concerns it could disenfranchise voters.

Citizenship is already required to vote nationally and in Utah, and the state has identified just a handful of cases where non-citizens successfully registered to vote. By contrast, more than 1.5 million people in Utah cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election.

“It doesn’t matter if it was just a few or there was a whole bunch,” bill sponsor Rep. Cory Maloy, R-Lehi, told members of the House Government Operations Committee. “That still eliminates trust.”

Utah Director of Elections Ryan Cowley said his office has identified five people who successfully registered to vote despite not being citizens. Some voted at least once, he told the panel. He did not give a time frame for the cases.




https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/01/22/utah-proposal-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-to-vote-moves-forward/