Voting rights advocates have long advocated an easy way to get more Americans to the polls: make Election Day a holiday.
But without federal action to ensure voters get time away from work to cast a ballot, Utah lawmakers are advancing a bill to add it to state calendars.
And although the bill would primarily result in a day off for public employees, Utah law already requires private employers to ensure workers are given adequate time to vote.
If the proposal from Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, passes, Utah would join five states that both recognize Election Day as a holiday and mandate paid time off, if needed, for voting.
The House Government and Operations Committee unanimously voted last week to approve the bill, which will now be heard by the full House chamber.
“We’ll do everything we can to encourage folks to vote,” Wilcox said, “and we’ve heard from a number of private folks that would love to have a nudge or an excuse to do that — to give their folks some extra time."
Under Utah law, employers must provide workers two hours to vote, unless employees’ shift leaves them with three or more free hours between the time polls open and close.
The state’s turnout among eligible voters in 2024 landed at 64.15%, just above the national rate of 64.07%, and ranked 26th among states, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
Wilcox first introduced the policy last year, but the legislative session adjourned before the Senate was able to consider it.
Lawmakers voted that same session to transition away from Utah’s universal vote-by-mail election system after years of President Donald Trump ratcheting up fears, without evidence, around the security of ballots sent through the Postal Service.
The new law forces voters to opt in by 2029 to vote through the mail rather than automatically receiving a ballot in their mailbox — a shift that will likely result in more voters needing to head to the polls on Election Day.