WASHINGTON — Today, Heritage Action, a conservative organization with two million grassroots activists nationwide, including thousands of Utahns, released a statement from Executive Director Jessica Anderson applauding Governor Cox for signing SB 219 and HB 313 into law and for the Utah legislators who voted to support these important election reforms.
SB 219 features policy recommendations issued by The Heritage Foundation and was inspired by Heritage Action Sentinel Arturo Morales-Llan, who was present at Governor Cox's signing ceremony.
Utahns deserve to have fair elections. Heritage Action thanks Governor Spencer Cox for protecting Utah’s elections by signing SB 219 and HB 313 into law.
SB 219 will protect Utah’s elections from outside influence by eliminating private money from election administration. HB 313 includes further reforms that improve the integrity of Utah’s elections including strengthening voter ID requirements, safeguarding election equipment from potential cybersecurity threats by banning internet connections for voting machines, and protecting ballot drop boxes through 24-hour surveillance.
We also applaud the hard work of legislators who voted for these common-sense reforms. Utah’s election laws have room for improvement, ranking 41st in the nation according to the Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard, and state legislators made it their mission to change that this session. State legislators should continue to take steps to secure Utah's elections by prioritizing legislation like SB 219 and HB 313 that ensures it is easy to vote and hard to cheat in Utah.
Background:
Last year, Heritage Action invested an initial $10 million into a first-ever state advocacy campaign to secure and strengthen state election systems. This year, Heritage Action is continuing to work with state governments and grassroots leaders to advance conservative priorities in the states.