Utah 2024 ballot measures
In 2024, two statewide ballot measures were on the ballot in Utah for the election on November 5.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment B | Raise the annual distribution limit from the State School Fund for public education from 4% to 5% |
|
1,004,901 (71%) |
402,865 (29%) |
|
| Amendment C | Establish in the state constitution that every county shall elect a sheriff to serve for four-year terms |
|
1,165,753 (83%) |
244,196 (17%) |
Removed from ballot by court ruling
| Type | Title | Subject | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Utah Amendment A | Taxes and Education | Require taxes on intangible property and income to be used to maintain a public education funding framework, provided through state law, that (1) uses a portion of revenue growth for Uniform School Fund expenditures for changes in student enrollment and long-term inflation and (2) provides a budgetary stabilization account; allow state to use tax revenue for other purposes after education funding requirements are met |
| LRCA | Utah Amendment D | Direct democracy | Provide in the constitution that the state legislature has the power to amend or repeal a citizen initiative; prohibit foreign individuals from influencing a ballot initiative |
Getting measures on the ballot
Utah allows citizen initiatives in the form of initiated state statutes and veto referendums. In Utah, initiated state statutes can be either directly or indirectly initiated. Signature requirements for directly-initiated statutes and referendum petitions are determined by calculating 8 percent of active voters in the state as of January 1 of the year following the last regular general election. For 2024, the signature requirement is 134,298 valid signatures.[1] For indirectly initiated statute petitions, proponents must gather signatures equal to 4 percent of active voters—a requirement of 67,149 for the 2024 ballot—to get the initiative before state legislators.[2]A second, equal round of signatures is required if the legislature does not approve the initiative. The deadline to submit the first round of signatures for an indirect initiated state statute targeting the 2024 election ballot was November 15, 2024.
State law establishes a final signature deadline for direct initiated state statutes and the second round of signatures for indirect initiatives as either 316 days after the initial initiative application was filed or 30 days after the first individual signs the initiative packet, whichever is earlier. Signatures for veto referendums must be submitted 30 days after the first individual signs the referendum packet or 40 days of the adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted bill was passed, whichever is earlier.
The Utah Legislature can also place legislatively referred constitutional amendments and legislatively referred state statutes on the ballot. The legislature can put a proposed amendment on the ballot upon a two-thirds majority vote in both the legislative chambers. The amendment must then be approved by a majority of voters voting in the general election, not just a majority of voters voting on the amendment.
Historical facts
In Utah, a total of 75 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2022. Fifty-eight ballot measures were approved, and 17 ballot measures were defeated.
| Utah statewide ballot measures, 1985-2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | Approved | Defeated | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
Ballot initiative certification rates
The following table shows the rate of certification for ballot initiatives in Utah between 2010 and 2020:
| Utah statewide ballot initiatives filed and certified, 2010-2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Ballot initiatives filed | Certified | |
| # | % | ||
| Averages | |||
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISS | Restore Previous State Flag and Require Voter Approval for Changes to State Flag Initiative | Motto and symbols | Repeal Senate Bill 31, which created a new state flag | 
|
| LRCA | Prohibit Taxes on Transfer of Real Property Amendment | Taxes | Prohibits the state or local governments from imposing a tax on the transfer of real property |
|
| LRCA | 60% Supermajority Vote Requirement for Initiatives Creating Taxes or Increasing Taxes Amendment | Taxes and Direct democracy measures | Requires a 60% supermajority vote of approval to adopt initiatives creating a new tax or increasing an existing tax |
|
| VR | State Flag Referendum | Motto and symbols | Repeals Senate Bill 31, which created a new state flag |
|
| CISS | Carbon Tax Initiative | Environment and Taxes | Establishes a carbon tax, eliminates the state sales tax on grocery store food, and expands the matched federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 15% to 20% |
|
| CISS | Alcoholic Beverage Regulations and Taxes Initiative | Alcohol and Business regulation | Makes changes to Utah's laws governing alcoholic beverages and decreases tax rates on alcoholic beverages |
|
| LRCA | Effective Dates of Legislation Amendment | Legislature | Provide that legislation takes effect on the 61st after the legislation session's last day |
|
| LRCA | Supermajority Vote Requirement to Pass Initiatives Increasing or Creating Taxes Amendment | Direct democracy | Require a 60% supermajority vote of approval for initiatives that increase a tax or create a new tax |
|
See also
- 2024 ballot measures
- List of Utah ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Utah
- Utah Legislature
State profile
| Demographic data for Utah | ||
|---|---|---|
| Utah | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,990,632 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 82,170 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 87.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.9% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 13.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.1% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $60,727 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Utah. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Utah
Utah voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Utah coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Utah
- United States congressional delegations from Utah
- Public policy in Utah
- Endorsers in Utah
- Utah fact checks
- More...
External links
Footnotes
 |
State of Utah Salt Lake City (capital) |
|---|---|
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