Utah Elections of County Sheriffs Amendment (2024)
| Utah Elections of County Sheriffs Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 5, 2024 | |
| Topic County and municipal governance and Law enforcement | |
| Status On the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Utah Elections of County Sheriffs Amendment is on the ballot in Utah as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024.[1]
A "yes" vote supports establishing in the state constitution that every county shall elect a sheriff to serve for four-year terms. |
A "no" vote opposes establishing in the state constitution that every county shall elect a sheriff to serve for four-year terms. |
Overview
What would the amendment do?
- See also: Text of measure
The proposed amendment would establish in the state constitution that every county shall elect a sheriff to serve for four-year terms. Utah state law currently mandates the election of county sheriffs, which means that this constitutional amendment would not alter the current procedures for selecting sheriffs. Utah has 29 counties and 29 elected county sheriffs.[1]
What has the bill's sponsor said about this amendment?
- See also: Support and Path to the ballot
Republican State Representative Brad R. Wilson, who sponsored the amendment in the state House said, "I personally believe it's nice to vote for our county sheriffs and know as a voter I have a say in who the chief law enforcement officer is in my county. [The amendment] is very simple. It creates an opportunity for the voters of the state of Utah to determine through amending our state constitution whether or not that's something they want to protect in perpetuity."[1]
The amendment was approved unanimously in the Utah State Senate and Utah House of Representatives.
Have other states voted on similar measures?
- See also: Background
In 2022, Kansas voters approved an amendment requiring the election of county sheriffs in counties that had not abolished the office as of January 2022. Voters approved the amendment in a vote of 62% to 38%.
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article XI, Utah Constitution
The ballot measure would add a Section 10 to Article XI of the Utah Constitution. The following underlined text would be added:[1]
|
Section 10. Election of County Sheriffs. (1) Each county shall have an office of county sheriff. (2) The office of county sheriff is an elected office. (3) Their term of office shall be four years from the first day of January next after their election.[2] |
Support
Supporters
Officials
- State Sen. Stuart Adams (R)
- State Rep. Brad R. Wilson (R)
Arguments
Opposition
Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this measure, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Background
Utah county sheriffs
Utah state law currently mandates the election of county sheriffs, which means that this constitutional amendment would not alter the current procedures for selecting sheriffs. Utah has 29 counties and 29 elected county sheriffs. On its website, the Utah County Sheriff's Office said its mission was to "[provide] law enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of Utah County and contract cities, as well as co-operative support services to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and organizations."[3][4]
Elected and appointed sheriffs
Sheriffs are generally the highest law-enforcement officer in a county. Alaska and Connecticut do not have sheriffs. Sheriffs are elected to four-year terms in 43 states, two-year terms in New Hampshire, three-year terms in New Jersey, and six-year terms in Massachusetts. In Hawaii and Rhode Island, sheriffs are appointed instead of elected.[5]
Related ballot measures
Ballotpedia tracked the following ballot measures related to county sheriff elections and appointments:
Statewide measures:
- In 2022, Kansas voters approved a constitutional amendment, Amendment 2, requiring the election of county sheriffs in counties that had not abolished the office as of January 2022. Voters approved the amendment in a vote of 62% to 38%.
- In November 2000, Connecticut approved Question 1 by a margin of 65.6% to 34.4%. The measure removed county sheriffs as constitutional officers.
Local measures:
- In November 2020, King County, Washington approved Charter Amendment 5 by a margin of 55.6% to 44.4%. The amendment returned the office of the sheriff from an elected position to an appointed position that is appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council.
Referred amendments on the ballot
From 2000 to 2022, the Utah State Legislature referred 40 constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved 35 (87.50%) and rejected five (12.50%) of the referred amendments. All of the amendments were referred to the ballot for general elections during even-numbered election years. The average number of amendments appearing on the general election ballot was between three and four.
| Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 2000-2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | |
| 40 | 35 | 87.50% | 5 | 12.50% | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Utah Constitution
In Utah, both chambers of the state legislature need to pass a constitutional amendment by a two-thirds vote during one legislative session to refer an amendment to the ballot.
On February 7, 2023, the state House approved the amendment in a vote of 72-0 with three members absent or not voting. On February 17, 2023, the Utah State Senate approved the amendment in a vote of 26-0 with three members absent or not voting.[1]
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How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Utah
Click "Show" to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Utah.
| How to cast a vote in Utah | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll timesUtah is an all-mail voting state that offers vote centers for voters that choose to vote in person. All vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Utah voters are able to vote in person at any vote center. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[6] Registration
To register to vote in Utah, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Utah for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the next general election. Pre-registration is available for 16- and 17-year-olds. 17-year-olds may vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the general election.[7] Registration can be completed online or by mailing in a form. The deadline to register online or by mail is 11 days before Election Day. After this deadline, voters may register in person at a vote center by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.[8][7][9] Automatic registrationUtah does not practice automatic voter registration. Online registration
Utah has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. Same-day registrationIn 2018, Utah enacted same-day voter registration; voters may register on Election Day and during the ten days prior by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.[8][10] Residency requirementsProspective voters must be residents of the state for at least 30 days before the election. Verification of citizenshipUtah does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. Verifying your registrationThe Utah Lieutenant Governor’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website. Voter ID requirementsUtah requires in-person voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[11] The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Utah State Legislature's statute defining accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Utah State Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 10," accessed February 9, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Utah Sheriffs Association, "Home," accessed February 27, 2023
- ↑ Utah County Sheriff, "Home," accessed February 27, 2023
- ↑ National Sheriffs Association, "FAQ," accessed March 20, 2023
- ↑ Salt Lake County Clerk, “Election Day Vote Centers,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 [https://voteinfo.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/2020/05/Voter-Registration-Form5-20.pdf Utah Lieutenant Governor: Elections, “State of Utah Voter Registration Form,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Utah Lieutenant Governor, “Learn how to register to vote,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Vote.Utah.gov, "State of Utah Voter Registration Form," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Utah State Legislature, “Section 207 Registration by provisional ballot,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Justia, "Utah §20A-1-102(2022)," accessed April 24, 2023
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