On February 15, the Utah House passed HB 233 by a vote of 66-4. The bill says when a party meets the vote test, it is then on the ballot for the next two elections. Current law says when a party passes the vote test, it is only one for one more election.

The vote test is 2%. It is fairly easy for a party to meet the test in presidential years, when there are six statewide partisan races on the ballot in most years. But it is tough in mid-term years, when most commonly there is only one statewide race on the ballot, U.S. Senate. Every twelve years there is a midterm year with no statewide race, and in those years all parties automatically remain on.

The four “no” votes were two Democrats: Susan Duckworth and Neal Hendrickson; and two Republicans: Jim Bird and Wayne Harper.