Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued his first veto of 2019 on Monday, rejecting a bill that would have created a process for filling congressional vacancies that relies on party delegates and excludes candidates from gathering voter signatures.
In a letter explaining his veto to the Utah House Speaker and Senate President, Herbert said the bill — which also would allow lawmakers to choose candidates for a U.S. Senate vacancy — contains ambiguities and “significantly limits participation and choice” by straying from the state’s dual-track election process created under SB54 in 2014.
“Utah law provides multiple paths to the ballot for partisan elections: a political party convention and signature gathering being the most common,” Herbert wrote.