Utahns would be able to vote two weeks before Election Day 2006 under legislation given preliminary approval Wednesday. County clerks would consolidate precincts into "Common Polling Places" where registered voters who show identification could vote as early as Oct. 24, 2006, or as late as Nov. 7, 2006.
Utah lawmakers don't trust government meeting minutes.
Instead, they want Mosquito Abatement boards and city councils alike to tape record their meetings to create a clear record of what took place.
Under draft legislation recommended Wednesday for the 2006 Legislature, lawmakers plan to change state law to take advantage of technology, requiring recordings of all government meetings - open and closed - and allowing elected leaders to participate long-distance in electronic meetings.
"There's a public perception out there that because there are only written minutes kept, that we as a body can go in a back room and change those minutes," said Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden. "We want the public to be confident in their elected officials. "
At the urging of local government lobbyists, lawmakers amended the bill Wednesday to give written minutes precedence over garbled recordings.
"We have to have some finality in what will be the record for litigation," said Lincoln Shirts, policy analyst with the Utah League of Cities and Towns.
A related bill, sponsored by Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, would require all government agencies to record their closed meetings.
And legislation from Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, for electronic meetings stems from his own experience of the limitations of Utah's Open Meetings Act. He developed blood clots and was hospitalized for a week during the 2004 Legislature. He listened in on floor debate and used his cell phone to communicate with his colleagues, but he couldn't vote.
The idea of allowing elected leaders to telecommute to public meetings worries some citizen advocates.
"What takes place in your meetings is very important to us," said Chuck Eddy, director of Citizens Advocate Corporation. Eddy has lost much of his vision and is limited to physically attending meetings and trying to read written minutes. He said loosening the rules for elected officials could shut out the public.
