Navajo concerns halt voter registration bill
Measure could lead to election monitors, Senate sponsor says
Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, on Friday asked leadership that SB67, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, not move ahead until he could address concerns raised on the Senate floor about how SB67 would impact the Navajo Nation.
"I just want to make it right," Madsen said.
Sen. Mike Dmitrich, D-Price, during Friday's debate, said the new requirements could violate some voting rights and bring federal election monitors back to the San Juan County reservation. The Navajo Nation had recently met all federal election requirements and in November held its first election that wasn't monitored by federal authorities in 20 years, Dmitrich said.
"That's 7,000 people down there who are going to be monitored again," he said.
Dmitrich later praised Madsen for doing "the right thing" by deferring the bill to study. He said the bill could probably be adjusted to address the concerns raised by Lynn Stevens, chairman of the San Juan County Commission.
The bill's requirement to show proof of address at the poll is troubling because many people living on the Navajo reservation don't have a house number, Stevens said.
Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said it's not unusual for a bill sponsor to decide to hold up his own bill.
"The sponsor decided he wants to study some issues further," Valentine said.
County and election clerks had raised concern about the cost and logistics of implementing the bill.
"We feel this is too late in the session for such a big issue," said Arie Van de Graff, research analyst for the Utah Association of Counties.
Weber County Elections Administrator Scott Hogensen said interim study would give time for county clerks and election commissioners to provide input on the bill.
During debate, Madsen had brushed off concerns about costs, saying election commissioners would only have to look at one more piece of paper; it wouldn't have to be verified, he said.
"I realize it is going to require a minimal amount of additional effort for voters to register," he said. "We have to balance that against the integrity of the voting system."
The bill would have required a copy of proof of citizenship. If SB227 also passed, a Utah driver's license issued after it took effect could also be used. The bill also would have required voters to present identification with a current address at the polls.
SB227, sponsored by Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, would limit driver's licenses to those with a Social Security number. Others, including illegal immigrants, would get a different colored "driving privilege card." Some who are not citizens, including permanent residents and refugees, would still be eligible for a driver's license.
Both bills came in the wake of a state audit that found some people believed to be undocumented immigrants had registered to vote, and 14 had voted.
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com
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