Utah has been the only state that required independent candidates for president to file in person, in the office of the Lieutenant Governor, in order to be on the ballot. Senate Bill 27, requested by the state elections office, deletes that requirement, and says such a candidate may designate an agent to appear at the office instead.

SB 27 also sets an independent presidential petition deadline of August 15. The legislature had accidentally repealed that deadline in 1994, so the state elections office had been accepting such petitions until early September, in the absense of any law on the subject.

SB 27 is an omnibus election law bill with many other changes. A final element of the bill requires write-in presidential candidates to file in person, or have an agent file in person. Previously write-in presidential candidates could mail in the paperwork. Since Utah doesn’t require a write-in presidential candidate to submit any candidates for presidential elector, normally Utah gets quite a few declared write-in candidates for president, most of whom have no support in the state and end up with a tally of “zero” write-ins. The in-person requirement in the bill (either the candidate or an agent of the candidate) will probably decrease the number of declared write-in presidential candidates in Utah, if the bill passes.