But because Utah utilizes universal mail-in voting, the federal change raises some questions among legislators regarding ballot delivery.

Currently, the Utah election code requires that election officers ensure that “when the bulk of ballots are initially mailed to voters, the ballots are mailed from a location in Utah.”

During a legislative committee Wednesday, lawmakers voted to open up a bill file to consider adjusting that requirement to allow counties that use the Las Vegas processing center to send ballots directly to the center rather than having to go to a Utah center first.

Brian McKenzie, Davis County clerk, addressed the Government Operations Interim Committee, explaining that by requiring ballots to be initially sent from Utah, counties with ZIP codes beginning in 847 may see a delay in receiving ballots. In the past, those ZIP codes sent mail to the Provo facility.

Ryan Cowley, elections director for the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, explained that in Beaver County, they now have to send ballots to Salt Lake City first before they are sent to Las Vegas by the Postal Service and then are sent back to residents in the county.

“We really have no control over how the post office processes their mail; we’re kind of at their mercy,” Cowley said. “So no matter what our laws are, the post office is going to kind of do their thing, but this does give us the ability to get those ballots to the facility that will actually process them so that we get those to voters quicker.”

By adjusting the code, McKenzie said county clerks could have the ballots go directly to the processing center in Nevada, likely saving about two to three days in mailing.

McKenzie initially recommended lawmakers consider completely striking the code that requires ballots to be first mailed from Utah. But after some discussion, lawmakers agreed on considering a bill to adjust the language to allow ballots to be shipped from the nearest facility.

By opening the bill file, legislation on the matter can possibly be considered during the 2025 legislative session after the upcoming 2024 election.

Sen. Don Ipson, R-St. George, added that he believes the Legislature also needs to look into the laws regarding the last day a ballot can be postmarked due to the issue, though he did not clarify what action should be taken.

Rep. Calvin Musselman, R-West Haven, called the situation an “interesting conundrum.”

“But it is what it is. There’s no alternative for these ballots not to end up being processed out of state,” he said.

The USPS has been conducting reviews of mail processing facilities as part of the 10-year “Delivering for America” plan, with the Provo facility being one that was put under review.

That review led to the Provo facility being moved to a local processing plant, with some processing services being moved to Salt Lake or Las Vegas, which are larger regional processing centers.