H.B. 583: Initiative and Referenda Signature Amendments

What the bill does

Did not pass both chambers; the bill was filed on March 6, 2026.

This bill creates a process to cure an initiative or referendum petition signature that is declared invalid.

• Establishes a process to cure a signature on an initiative or referendum petition that is declared invalid by a county clerk because the signature does not match the signature on file in the statewide voter registration database
• Requires a county clerk to notify an individual described above when the county clerk determines that the individual's signature does not match the signature on file
• Allows the individual to cure the invalid signature by delivering to the county clerk a signed affidavit attesting to the validity of the signature
• Establishes deadlines related to the processes described above
• Provides that a county clerk may not count the individual's signature as valid unless the affidavit is timely received

The description and list come from the bill's own long title as recorded by the Legislature. Read the official bill. The Ledger takes no position on it.

Subjects: Counties · Election Law · Initiatives · Voting and Voter Registration · Government Records · Administrative Rulemaking · Administrative Rulemaking and Procedures · Political Subdivisions (Local Issues) · Government Operations (State Issues) · County Officers · Referenda

How it moved

1. February 18, 2026 · House1st reading (Introduced)Rules Committee
2. February 25, 2026 · Houseto standing committeeGovernment Operations Committee
3. March 2, 2026 · HouseHouse Comm - Recommends Returned to RulesGovernment Operations Committee
4. March 6, 2026 · Housefiledfile for bills not passed

Steps as the Legislature recorded them; clerical and fiscal-staff entries are left out. Numbers such as 54-14-7 are yeas, nays and absent.

Fiscal note

From the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's note on H.B. 583, dated February 24, 2026. A fiscal note estimates direct costs and revenue; it is not an appropriation.

• State revenue: Enactment of this legislation likely will not materially impact state revenue.
• State expenditures: Enactment of this legislation likely will not materially impact state expenditures.
• Local government: Enactment of this legislation could cost county clerk offices statewide $205,000 ongoing beginning in Fiscal Year 2027 to cure signatures, alert individuals of invalid of signatures, process affidavits, and verify signatures. The exact change in cost per county clerk office is unknown and dependent upon workload.
• Individuals and businesses: Enactment of this legislation likely will not result in direct expenditures from tax or fee changes for Utah residents and businesses.

Bill overview

Sponsor: Andrew Stoddard

Legislature passed-list status: Not available in the saved metadata.

Passed-list membership is not a finding that a bill was signed or took effect. A bill absent from that list is not necessarily pending or defeated.

Latest recorded action

filed
Action date: March 6, 2026

The full step list is above. Find the bill in the official session list for status, hearings and committee records.

Recorded floor votes

No floor-vote records for this bill and session are available here. This does not mean no vote occurred; consult the official bill record.

Ledger coverage

No Ledger stories with an explicit source link to this bill and session are listed here.