This bill amends provisions relating to nominating candidates for elective office and placing candidates on a ballot.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah's current election law allows political parties to nominate candidates for office through a party convention, a signature-gathering process, or both combined — the system at the heart of the long-running "SB54" dispute between the state and the Utah Republican Party. This bill would eliminate that dual-track option and instead require every registered political party to pick one path: become a "primary nominating party," which would nominate candidates only by gathering voter signatures and would compete in the regular primary election, with the party's name appearing next to its candidates on the general election ballot; or become a "convention nominating party," which would choose its nominees entirely through an internal convention process, would not participate in the regular primary, and would not have its party name listed next to its candidates on the general election ballot. The bill also removes the current "qualified political party" designation from state law and adjusts the number of voter signatures a candidate must collect to qualify for the ballot under the signature-gathering path. These changes would apply broadly across candidate nomination procedures for federal, state, and legislative offices, including special elections to fill vacancies in Congress or the Legislature.
Introduction
Feb 3
House Rules
House Committee
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
IntroductionFeb 3
House Rules
House Committee
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
This bill amends provisions relating to nominating candidates for elective office and placing candidates on a ballot.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah's current election law allows political parties to nominate candidates for office through a party convention, a signature-gathering process, or both combined — the system at the heart of the long-running "SB54" dispute between the state and the Utah Republican Party. This bill would eliminate that dual-track option and instead require every registered political party to pick one path: become a "primary nominating party," which would nominate candidates only by gathering voter signatures and would compete in the regular primary election, with the party's name appearing next to its candidates on the general election ballot; or become a "convention nominating party," which would choose its nominees entirely through an internal convention process, would not participate in the regular primary, and would not have its party name listed next to its candidates on the general election ballot. The bill also removes the current "qualified political party" designation from state law and adjusts the number of voter signatures a candidate must collect to qualify for the ballot under the signature-gathering path. These changes would apply broadly across candidate nomination procedures for federal, state, and legislative offices, including special elections to fill vacancies in Congress or the Legislature.
House/ filed
House file for bills not passed
House/ strike enacting clause
Clerk of the House
House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
House Rules Committee
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0460
Released
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0460
Version Sponsor
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM