Utah Code § 17-61-201 Consolidation of counties -- Petition -- Certification of petition signatures -- Removal of signature -- Election -- Ballot.
17-61-201. Consolidation of counties -- Petition -- Certification of petition signatures -- Removal of signature -- Election -- Ballot.
(1)
(a) A voter of a county who desires to have the county joined to and consolidated with an adjoining county may petition the county legislative body of the county in which the voter resides and the county legislative body of the adjoining county, as described in this section.
(b) The first page of a petition described in this section shall include the following statement in at least the same size type as the majority of the other statements on the page:
"WARNING TO SIGNERS WITH PRIVATE VOTER REGISTRATION RECORDS
If you sign this petition, your voter identification number and the date you signed may be publicly disclosed. This disclosure may occur even if you are an at-risk voter with a voter registration record that has been classified as a private record."
(2)
(a) Each petition under Subsection (1) shall be:
(i) signed by a majority of the voters who reside in the originating county;
(ii) signed by a majority of the voters who reside in the consolidating county; and
(iii) presented to the county legislative body of the originating county and the county legislative body of the consolidating county before the first Monday in June of any year.
(b) The number of voters residing in a county is the same as the number of active voters, as defined in Section 20A-7-501, for the county.
(3)
(a) Within three business days after the day on which a county legislative body receives a petition under Subsection (1), the county legislative body shall provide the petition to the county clerk.
(b) Within 14 days after the day on which a county clerk receives a petition from the county legislative body under Subsection (3)(a), the county clerk shall:
(i) use the procedures described in Section 20A-1-1002 to determine whether the petition satisfies the requirements of Subsection (2) in regard to the voters of the county in which the county clerk is an officer;
(ii) certify on the petition whether each name is that of a registered voter in the county in which the county clerk is an officer; and
(iii) deliver the certified petition to the county legislative body.
(4)
(a) An individual who signs a petition under this section may have the individual's signature removed from the petition by, no later than three business days after the day on which the county legislative body provides the petition to the county clerk, submitting to the county clerk a statement requesting that the individual's signature be removed.
(b) A statement described in Subsection (4)(a) shall comply with the requirements described in Subsection 20A-1-1003(2).
(c) The county clerk shall use the procedures described in Subsection 20A-1-1003(3) to determine whether to remove an individual's signature from a petition after receiving a timely, valid statement requesting removal of the signature.
(5) If the county clerks of the originating county and consolidating county each determine that the petition meets the requirements of Subsection (2)(a), each county clerk shall ensure that the petition is submitted to the voters of the respective counties as described in Subsection (6).
(6)
(a) If a petition under Subsection (1) is presented in a year during which a regular general election is held, the county legislative body of the originating county and the county legislative body of the consolidating county shall cause the proposition to be submitted to the legal voters of the respective counties at the next regular general election.
(b) If a petition under Subsection (1) is presented during a year in which there is no regular general election, the county legislative body of the originating county and the county legislative body of the consolidating county shall:
(i) call a special election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November following the presentation of the petition; and
(ii) cause the proposition to be submitted to the voters of the respective counties during the special election.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this part, an election under this Subsection (6) shall be held, the results canvassed, and returns made under the provisions of the general election laws of the state.
(d) The ballot language to be used at an election under this Subsection (6) shall be:
For combining ____ county with ____ county.
Against combining ____ county with ____ county.
Amended by Chapter 102, 2026 General Session