HB 351: Election Day Amendments - Utah

Substitute #3 → Substitute #4 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill substitutes a new version of HB 351 that expands the code sections amended to include municipal election and residency requirements, while maintaining the core provision establishing Election Day as a state holiday. The Senate sponsor changed from LONG TITLE to Keven J. Stratton, and the bill now includes additional technical amendments to municipal election procedures and office hours requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from only amending 63G-1-301 (legal holidays) to also amending 10-3-301 (municipal election eligibility), 23A-8-101, 54-8a-2, 61-1-13, 63A-17-510, and 67-27-103, affecting municipal election procedures and office hours.

SCOPE

Added amendments to 10-3-301 regarding municipal election eligibility, residency requirements, and office hours for city recorders and town clerks

Added amendments to 23A-8-101, 54-8a-2, 61-1-13, 63A-17-510, and 67-27-103 to ensure Election Day is excluded from work-related closures

TECHNICAL

Changed Senate Sponsor from LONG TITLE to Keven J. Stratton

Updated highlighted provisions to clarify that Election Day excludes state agency or work-related closure requirements

Added specific language excluding Election Day from office hours requirements for municipal clerks

Substitute #2 → Substitute #3 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill substitute removes the Senate Sponsor name, simplifies the highlighted provisions to focus only on establishing Election Day as a holiday and making technical changes, and renumbers the holiday list to accommodate the new Election Day entry while maintaining all other existing holidays. The substantive policy outcome remains the same: Election Day is added as a state holiday and Columbus Day is retained.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains unchanged in terms of policy impact, though the Senate Sponsor field was removed and the document formatting was adjusted.

TECHNICAL

Removed Senate Sponsor name from the header section

Simplified highlighted provisions to focus on Election Day establishment and technical changes

Renumbered holiday list items to accommodate Election Day as item (xi) while keeping Columbus Day as item (x)

Adjusted holiday numbering references in subsections (b) and (c) to reflect the new list structure

REQUIREMENT

Added Election Day (first Tuesday after first Monday in November) as a legal state holiday

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill substitutes a revised version of HB 351 that eliminates Columbus Day as a state holiday while adding Election Day as a new legal holiday. The change removes the October holiday and adds November's first Tuesday after the first Monday as Election Day, aligning Utah's holidays with federal election scheduling. Both versions establish Election Day as a state holiday effective January 1, 2026, but the substitute version also removes Columbus Day from the list of recognized holidays.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed by removing Columbus Day from the list of state legal holidays and adding Election Day as a new holiday.

SCOPE

Columbus Day (second Monday of October) was removed from the list of legal holidays

Election Day (first Tuesday after the first Monday in November) was added as a new legal holiday

TIMELINE

Effective date remains January 1, 2026 for both versions

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify that Election Day becomes a state holiday starting January 1, 2026 (instead of May 7, 2025), and to fix formatting issues in the original text. The substantive policy content remains the same - establishing Election Day as a state holiday.

TIMELINE

Effective date changed from May 7, 2025 to January 1, 2026

TECHNICAL

Senate Sponsor field was removed from the header

Highlighted Provisions section was reformatted with bullet points for clarity

Minor formatting corrections to section numbering and line breaks throughout the document

Election Day Amendments

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors