About That Letter You May Have Received About SB 153
If a letter from the Lieutenant Governor’s office showed up in your mailbox recently, you probably had questions. Maybe some concern. That’s fair, and you deserve a straight answer.
I voted for SB 153. Here’s why.
What the letter says
The letter notifies voters whose registration records were previously marked private that those records will become public on May 25, 2026. It lists what will be visible: your name, address, party affiliation, voting history, and other standard registration details.
What the letter doesn’t explain is the context. The phrase “removes most voter record privacy protections” is going to alarm people, and I understand that. But it leaves out a lot. Let me fill in the rest.
What SB 153 actually does to voter registration records
The bill restores the public default. Voter registration information is public unless you qualify for protected status as an at-risk voter.
Who qualifies? Victims of domestic violence or dating violence. Law enforcement officers. Members of the armed forces. Judges. Public figures who have received credible threats. People protected by a court order. Those are real categories with real justification, and the law keeps those protections fully intact. If you fall into one of them, your record stays private.
Everyone else has a public registration record. Just as we did for most of Utah’s history.
How Utah voter rolls became nearly half private
Voter registration has always been a public function. You register to vote as a citizen participating in a public election. The basic information on that registration has historically been a public record in Utah and in most other states.
Utah built in a privacy option over time. It was intended for people with real safety concerns: domestic violence victims, law enforcement officers, judges, public figures facing credible threats. Good reasons. Real needs.
The problem is the system required no justification. Anyone could mark their record private, and a lot of people did. By the time this session started, nearly half of all voter registrations in Utah were marked private. Not because half of Utahns face credible threats. Because the checkbox was there.
That created real problems. Candidates running for office had no way to identify who lived in their own district. Political parties couldn’t identify their own members. Citizens trying to participate in the caucus-convention system were working blind. That is not how a transparent, accountable election system is supposed to work.
The federal compliance issue
One more thing worth mentioning. Federal law has long required states to maintain voter rolls that meet basic transparency standards. Utah’s previous system, with nearly half the rolls hidden without justification, put us out of compliance. Judicial Watch was preparing litigation. The Trump administration’s Justice Department had already sued states over the same issue, including Utah. SB 153 puts us on the right side of that law. That wasn’t the reason I voted yes, but it matters.
If you qualify for at-risk voter status under SB 153
If you have a legitimate reason to keep your registration private, apply now. Visit vote.utah.gov/voter-privacy-information to review the eligibility requirements and submit your request. The deadline to apply before the May 25 change takes effect is May 6, 2026. Don’t wait.
Why I voted yes
Transparent elections require a transparent voter roll. The privacy protections in this bill are real, and they go to the people who actually need them. A system where anyone can hide their registration with a click isn’t a privacy protection. It’s opacity with a checkbox.
I understand the letter was alarming. I hope this helps explain what it means and why the Legislature acted. As always, reach out if you have questions.
Cory Maloy
Utah House of Representatives, District 52
cory@corymaloy.com | 801-477-0019