POLITICS & ELECTIONS

Gov. Cox talks priorities for 2025 legislative session

Jan 16, 2025, 12:22 PM | Updated: 12:42 pm

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Governor Spencer Cox held his first monthly news conference on PBS with members of the media on Thursday.

KSL TV was in the room when the governor opened the floor for questions.

One of the points raised included concern over how elections are handled and if anything will change moving forward.

The governor said he believes changes should be made so ballots can be counted on election night. He reiterated the Lt. Governor does not run elections in Utah.

“The Lieutenant Governor oversees elections. The elections are run by our county clerks. The Lt. Gov. does not count or open or look at a single ballot,” Cox said.

With the legislative session right around the corner, the governor laid out his biggest priorities for the session. He said housing and energy are at the top of the state’s list.

Also on the list is a focus on the state’s seniors and most vulnerable Utahns.

“Getting a tax cut for our seniors. Making sure that we’re able to eliminate the tax on social security, one of only eight states after West Virginia completely repeals that will still be taxing social security. That’s a huge one for us,” Cox said.

In addition, with the Sundance Film Festival starting next week, the governor said they are working closely with Sundance as it has been an important part of Utah. This comes amid discussion that Sundance could be looking at relocating out of the state.

The governor said it is ultimately up to Sundance, but the state is going to do what it can to keep the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

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Gov. Cox talks priorities for 2025 legislative session