Bill would permit election day registration

Utah voters would be able to register and cast their ballot on election day under a bill that passed the Utah House on Friday.

Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City, said residents are already allowed to cast provisional ballots on election day if they're not registered, and they are added to the voter rolls, but the ballots aren't counted.

"This is just our opportunity to count the vote," she said.

Considering Utah has been making efforts to increase voter turnout, Chavez-Houck said, election day registration would remove a hurdle for voters.

"I think our job is to allow as many people to vote as we can," said Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield.

Ten states, including neighbors in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming currently allow voters to register and vote on election day.

The measure passed the House 53-14 and moves to the Senate for consideration next week.

— Robert Gehrke