Utah Lawmakers Hesitate on Posting Candidate Petition Signatures Online

Proposal to publicly list names of petition signers faces pushback over privacy concerns

Feb. 3, 2026 at 9:31pm

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A proposal in the Utah legislature to publicly post the names of those who sign petitions to get candidates on the ballot is not moving forward, at least for now. The House Government Operations Committee voted 5-2 to hold the bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kohler, R-Midway, which would have required the lieutenant governor's office to post petition signer names online. Lawmakers expressed concerns that this could lead to "political browbeating" and discourage people from participating in the political process.

Why it matters

The debate over this bill highlights the tension between transparency in the electoral process and protecting the privacy of citizens who participate in it. Supporters argue that public disclosure of petition signers would allow for verification of the process, while opponents worry it could have a chilling effect on civic engagement.

The details

Kohler's bill, HB167, would have required the lieutenant governor's office to post online the name and date of signatures five days after they are verified, where they would remain publicly available until 90 days after the primary election. This stems from disputes over the validity of signatures in the 2024 Republican gubernatorial primary. However, several lawmakers expressed concerns that this could lead to "political browbeating" and discourage people from signing petitions, especially given the "hyper-focused and extreme" political climate.

  • The House Government Operations Committee voted 5-2 on Tuesday to hold HB167, preventing it from moving further at this point.
  • A similar bill from Kohler passed the House of Representatives last year, 43-27, but it stalled in the Senate and did not move forward before the 2025 legislative session ended.
  • This year's proposal could still come back up for a vote before the current legislative session ends on March 6.

The players

Rep. Mike Kohler

The Republican state representative from Midway who sponsored HB167 to publicly post petition signer names.

Gov. Spencer Cox

The Republican governor of Utah who won a contentious 2024 primary election, which led to disputes over the validity of signatures used to qualify for the ballot.

Phil Lyman

A former Republican state lawmaker who lost the 2024 GOP gubernatorial primary to Cox and repeatedly questioned the validity of signatures Cox's campaign used to qualify for the ballot.

John Dougall

The former state auditor who conducted a review of signature packets and concluded that Cox and two other GOP candidates "met the statutory threshold of required valid signatures."

Rep. Doug Welton

The Republican state representative from Payson who expressed concerns that public disclosure of petition signers could lead to "political browbeating."

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What they’re saying

“I just worry with making names public that there is going to be political browbeating that goes on.”

— Rep. Doug Welton, Republican state representative from Payson (ksltv.com)

“I think we live in a time when positions in politics are so hyper-focused and extreme, that there are going to be a lot of people who are going to be hesitant to sign anything based on the fact that someone who disagree with them can go and see publicly what they did.”

— Rep. Andrew Stoddard, Democratic state representative from Midvale (ksltv.com)

What’s next

The proposal could still come back up for a vote before the current legislative session ends on March 6.

The takeaway

This debate highlights the ongoing tension between transparency in the electoral process and protecting the privacy of citizens who participate in it. While supporters argue that public disclosure of petition signers would allow for verification, opponents are concerned it could have a chilling effect on civic engagement, especially in the current hyper-partisan political climate.