Statewide Initiative Modifications

5
20A-7-201
20A-7-208
0
Statewide Initiative Modifications
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Andrew Stoddard
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies provisions governing statewide initiatives.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
increases the percentage of legal signatures a person must obtain to have an initiative
submitted to the Legislature from 4% to 8%;
equalizes the percentage described above with the percentage of legal signatures a person
must obtain to have an initiative submitted to a vote of the people;
requires an initiative not enacted by the Legislature to automatically be submitted to a
vote of the people at the next regular general election; and
makes conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
20A-7-201
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 448
20A-7-208
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapters 107, 116
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
20A-7-201
is amended to read:
20A-7-201
. Statewide initiatives -- Signature requirements -- Submission to the
Legislature or to a vote of the people.
(1)
(a)
A person seeking to have an initiative submitted to the Legislature for approval or
rejection shall, after filing an initiative application, obtain:
(i)
legal signatures equal to
4%
8%
of the number of active voters in the state on
January 1 immediately following the last regular general election; and
(ii)
from at least 26 Utah State Senate districts, legal signatures equal to
4%
8%
of
the number of active voters in that district on January 1 immediately following the
last regular general election.
(b)
If, at any time not less than 10 calendar days before the beginning of the next annual
general session of the Legislature, the lieutenant governor declares that an initiative
petition designated under Subsection
20A-7-202(2)(c)(i)
for submission to the
Legislature is signed by a sufficient number of voters to meet the requirements of
Subsection
(1)(a)
, the lieutenant governor shall deliver a copy of the initiative
petition, the text of the proposed law, and the cover sheet described in Subsection
(1)(c)
to the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House, and the director of the
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
(c)
The lieutenant governor shall prepare a cover sheet for a petition declared sufficient
under Subsection
(1)(b)
that contains:
(i)
the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the
last regular general election;
(ii)
the number of active voters in each Utah State Senate district on January 1
immediately following the last regular general election;
(iii)
the total number of certified signatures obtained for the initiative petition; and
(iv)
the total number of certified signatures obtained from each Utah State Senate
district for the initiative petition.
(2)
(a)
A person seeking to have an initiative submitted to a vote of the people for
approval or rejection shall, after filing an initiative application, obtain:
(i)
legal signatures equal to 8% of the number of active voters in the state on January
1 immediately following the last regular general election; and
(ii)
from at least 26 Utah State Senate districts, legal signatures equal to 8% of the
number of active voters in that district on January 1 immediately following the
last regular general election.
(b)
If an initiative petition meets the requirements of this part and the lieutenant
governor declares that the initiative petition is signed by a sufficient number of voters
to meet the requirements of Subsection
(2)(a)
, the lieutenant governor shall submit
the proposed law to a vote of the people at the next regular general election:
(i)
immediately after the application is filed under Section
20A-7-202
; and
(ii)
specified on the petition under Section
20A-7-203
.
(3)
The lieutenant governor shall provide the following information to any interested person:
(a)
the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the last
regular general election; and
(b)
for each Utah State Senate district, the number of active voters in that district on
January 1 immediately following the last regular general election.
Section 2. Section
20A-7-208
is amended to read:
20A-7-208
. Disposition of initiative petitions by the Legislature.
(1)
(a)
Except as provided in Subsection
(1)(b)
, when the lieutenant governor delivers an
initiative petition to the Legislature, the law proposed by that initiative petition shall
be either enacted or rejected without change or amendment by the Legislature.
(b)
The speaker of the House and the president of the Senate may direct legislative staff
to make technical corrections authorized by Section
36-12-12
.
(c)
If any law proposed by an initiative petition is enacted by the Legislature, the law is
subject to referendum the same as other laws.
(2)
If any law proposed by an intiative petition is not enacted by the Legislature, that
proposed law shall be submitted to a vote of the people at the next regular general
election
if:
.
(a)
sufficient additional signatures to the petition are first obtained to bring the total
number of signatures up to the number required by Subsection
20A-7-201(2)
; and
(b)
those additional signatures are verified, certified by the county clerks, and declared
sufficient by the lieutenant governor as provided in Section
20A-7-105
and this part.
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
1-6-26 3:08 PM