About a baker’s dozen years ago, a somewhat geeky, little-known young man started to make a name for himself by, quite successfully, promoting democracy in Utah.
As Utah’s lieutenant governor, it was already Spencer Cox’s job to run our elections. But he made it his mission to go beyond the basics and get more people to register and to vote.
He used the normal tools of his office — which weren’t much at such a low-profile post — and employed social media and some silly, self-deprecating videos to reach Utahns who otherwise might not have been into the political process.
At about the same time, other Utah political leaders were proudly in the vanguard of a movement to implement mail-in balloting, for the simple reason that it might improve our state’s dismal voter turnout numbers.
Spoiler alert: It did.
Of course most of the work fell on county election officials. But Cox was a big booster and, under his leadership, mail-in balloting became an unqualified success in Utah.
Now, those accomplishments are threatened by a small number of Utah politicians who are spreading unjustified mistrust in the system and seeking to undo past gains.
It is time for Cox, now in the governor’s chair, to speak out aggressively in defense of mail-in voting. He should make it clear he will veto any legislation that undermines this democratic tool, a trustworthy and efficient system that is, so far, his greatest political legacy.
The current lieutenant governor, Deidre Henderson, is likewise a big fan of mail-in ballots and has done a good job of making the system work.
She notes that going back to election-day polling places would greatly increase the cost of running elections and would, sadly in today’s political climate, provide a target for violence or an open invitation to self-appointed polling place vigilantes to intimidate legitimate voters who may appear too brown for their tastes.
Mail-in voting is resoundingly popular with, and justly trusted by, the Utah electorate, boosting voter turnout above 90% in 2020 and 75% in the 2018 midterms. It is particularly helpful for the elderly and handicapped, working people and those who live in rural areas a multi-hour drive from the nearest polling place or dropbox.
Spencer Cox did a lot to give this boost to Utah democracy. It is time for him to do all he can to see that we can keep it.
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