State legislators have compromised with the Count My Vote initiative as it passed in the House Government Operations committee on Monday. A bill - SB54 - was amended to be inclusive to the Count My Vote movement.
Todd Weiler, a state senator from Bountiful, said if passed the bill would allow candidates to bypass the caucus system by collecting enough signatures to be on the voter ballot.
“The Count My Vote organizers have agreed to stop collecting signatures and to not submit the signatures," Weiler said. "They are going to effectively withdraw their language with SB 54.”
If the bill passes it would open up the voting system so more people could vote in primary elections in both the Republican and Democratic parties in Utah.
“About 60 percent of all of our voters are not affiliated with any party and those voters have been excluded from the Republican primary for the last 12 years,” Weiler said.
The Utah Democratic Party most likely won’t see an effect due to SB 54 because the party's small size, he said.
Morgan Pratt is a sophomore at Utah State University seeking a degree in Journalism and Communications.
