Fearing senior citizens and others may not understand well how to use the Internet, the House Thursday voted down a bill that would have stopped the mailing of large voter information booklets before elections and posted the information online instead.

The House voted 42-29 against SB19, defeating it for now. The bill previously passed the Senate easily on a 24-1 vote.

The bill would have allowed postcards to be sent instead of the booklets to save money. The postcards would have contained a link to a website with the voter information. They also would have contained a phone number voters could have called to have a printed booklet mailed to them, if they desired.

The bill also called for printed booklets to be placed in post offices, libraries and county clerk's offices.

"One of the primary reasons for this proposal is to save money," said Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, the bill's House sponsor. State officials estimated it would have saved at least $60,000 a year initially. It also would have made it easier to update information and perhaps provide more detailed information online.

But several lawmakers worried senior citizens and others may not understand how to obtain the voter information, and voted down the bill. While it is dead for now, the House could vote later to reconsider its action.