Election administration in Utah
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Utah:
Poll times[edit]
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
Utah is an all-mail voting state that offers vote centers for voters that choose to vote in person. All vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Utah voters are able to vote in person at any vote center. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]
Voter registration[edit]
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Utah, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Utah for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the next general election. Pre-registration is available for 16- and 17-year-olds. 17-year-olds may vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the general election.[3] Registration can be completed online or by mailing in a form. The deadline to register online or by mail is 11 days before Election Day. After this deadline, voters may register in person at a vote center by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.[4][3][5]
Automatic registration[edit]
Utah does not practice automatic voter registration.[6]
Online registration[edit]
- See also: Online voter registration
Utah has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.[6]
Same-day registration[edit]
In 2018, Utah enacted same-day voter registration; voters may register on Election Day and during the ten days prior by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.[4][7]
Residency requirements[edit]
Prospective voters must be residents of the state for at least 30 days before the election.[4]
Verification of citizenship[edit]
Utah does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a person who commits fraudulent registration is "guilty of a class A misdemeanor" under Utah Code 20A-2-401.[8]
Verifying your registration[edit]
The Utah lieutenant governor’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy[edit]
Early voting[edit]
- See also: Early voting
Utah permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee/mail-in voting[edit]
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
Utah is an all-mail voting state. All registered Utah voters are mailed a ballot before the election. No request is necessary. Completed ballots can be returned in person to a vote center, deposited into a local dropox, or returned by mail. If mailed, completed ballots must be postmarked by the day before Election Day[9]
Returning absentee/mail-in ballots[edit]
Completed ballots can be returned in person to a vote center, deposited into a local dropox, or returned by mail. If mailed, completed ballots must be postmarked by the day before Election Day.[9][10]
Utah law does not specify whether someone can return a ballot on behalf of a voter.
Signature requirements and cure provisions[edit]
Absentee/mail-in ballots in Utah include a return envelope printed with an affidavit that must be signed by the voter. Unsigned ballots will not be counted. A poll worker will compare the signature on the affidavit with the voter’s signature that was filed with their voter registration application. If it is determined that the signatures do not match, the ballot will not be counted and will be set aside. Utah law includes a cure provision that requires election officials to attempt to contact a voter whose ballot was set aside because of a signature discrepancy. Election officials must explain to the voter why his or her ballot was set aside and provide the voter with the opportunity to submit a new affidavit.[11]
Was your absentee/mail-in ballot counted?[edit]
Utah voters can use this website provided by the lieutenant governor's office to track the status of their ballot.
Voter identification requirements[edit]
- See also: Voter ID in Utah
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Utah requires in-person voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[12]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Utah State Legislature's statute defining accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
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"Valid voter identification" means:
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As of April 2024, 35 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 24 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
Provisional balloting for voters without ID[edit]
Voters who do not have ID while voting may cast provisional ballots.[14] See below for provisional ballot rules.
Provisional ballot rules[edit]
According to state law, voters in Utah may register to vote and vote using a provisional ballot on election day or during early voting if:[15]
| “ |
(a) the individual is otherwise legally entitled to vote the ballot; (b) the ballot is identical to the ballot for the precinct in which the individual resides; (c) the information on the provisional ballot form is complete; and (d) the individual provides valid voter identification and proof of residence to the poll worker.[13] |
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Before counting a provisional ballot, election officials verify that the voter is eligible to register to vote and that they are legally entitled to vote the ballot.[15]
Was your provisional ballot counted?[edit]
A provisional ballot is counted if "the person provides valid voter identification to the county clerk or an election officer who is administering the election by the close of normal office hours on Monday after the date of the election."[16]
Utah voters can use this website provided by the lieutenant governor's office to track the status of their provisional ballot.
Local election officials[edit]
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Primary election type[edit]
- See also: Primary elections in Utah
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Utah, state law allows parties to decide who may vote in their primaries.[17] Check Vote.Utah.gov for details about upcoming elections.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Time off work for voting[edit]
In Utah, employers must accommodate employees' applications for two hours paid time off work to vote unless employees have three consecutive hours during polling time off-work to vote. Employers may specify when employees take time off to vote; those who violate this provision incur a misdemeanor:
| “ | (1)(a) Each employer shall allow any voter to be absent from service or employment on election day for not more than two hours between the time the polls open and close. (b) The voter shall apply for a leave of absence before election day. (c)(i) The employer may specify the hours during which the employee may be absent.(ii) If the employee requests the leave of absence at the beginning or end of the work shift, the employer shall grant that request. (d) The employer may not deduct from an employee's usual salary or wages because of the absence. (2) This section does not apply to an employee who has three or more hours between the time polls open and close during which the employee is not employed on the job. (3) Any employer who violates this section is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.[18][13] | ” |
As of September 2024, 28 states required employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies varied as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony[edit]
In Utah, people convicted of a felony regain their right to vote when they have completed their incarceration. Click here for Utah's rules and procedure on restoring voting rights for people convicted of a felony[19][4]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[6]
Voter list maintenance[edit]
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[20] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[21]
When names can be removed from the voter list[edit]
Utah law authorizes county clerks to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:[22][23]
- dies
- requests in writing to removed
- confirms in writing that they have moved outside of their voting jurisdiction
- registers to vote in another state
- is convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors
- remains in inactive status through two federal general elections.
Inactive voter list rules[edit]
If a voter is determined to have moved outside of their voting jurisdiction, county clerks are to move them to an inactive list and send them a notice. If an inactive voter fails to respond to the notice and fails to vote in two consecutive general elections, they are fully removed from the list of registered voters.[24]
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)[edit]
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."[25]
By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of May 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.[26]
As of August 2023, Utah was participating in the ERIC program.
Post-election auditing[edit]
Utah state law requires post-election audits. The lieutenant governor’s office randomly selects ballots to be audited, and local election officials are responsible for conducting the audit.
In vote-by-mail counties, one percent or 1,000 mail ballots, whichever is less, are audited. One accessible voting machine out of every 100 machines in each Utah House District must also be audited. If there are discrepancies, election officials must investigate them. The audit must be completed before the canvass.[27]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[28][29]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
As of October 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia had some form of post-election audit by law. Of these, 35 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, while six states required risk-limiting post-election audits by law. Eight states used some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.[30][31]
Election policy ballot measures[edit]
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Utah.
- Utah Authorization of Recall, Initiative B (1976)
- Utah Legislative Eligibility, Proposition 1 (1998)
- Utah Eliminate Felons' Right to Vote, Proposition 4 (1998)
- Utah Legislator Eligibility, Amendment B (2010)
- Utah Election of Appointed Lieutenant Governor, Amendment B (2014)
[edit]
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Utah. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker[edit]
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The Ballot Bulletin[edit]
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
Ballot access[edit]
In order to get on the ballot in Utah, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Utah. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting[edit]
- See also: Redistricting in Utah
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Utah's four United States Representatives and 104 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[32][33][34][35]
Utah was apportioned four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Utah after the 2020 census.
State process[edit]
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In Utah, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are ultimately enacted by the state legislature. An advisory commission submits proposed maps to the legislature for its approval. This commission comprises the following seven members:[36]
- One appointed by the governor, to serve as the chair of the commission;
- One appointed by the president of the Utah Senate;
- One appointed by the speaker of the Utah House of Representatives;
- One appointed by the leader of the largest minority political party in the Utah Senate;
- One appointed by the leader of the largest minority political party in the Utah House of Representatives;
- One appointed jointly by the leadership of the majority political party in the Utah Senate, president of the Utah Senate, and the leadership of the same political party in the Utah House of Representatives; and
- One appointed jointly by the leadership of the largest minority political party in the Utah Senate, and the leadership of the same political party in the Utah House of Representatives, including the speaker of the House, if the speaker is a member of the same political party.
The commission is required to select between one and three plans, with the affirmative votes of at least five members, to submit to the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court. The chief justice is responsible for determining if the commission's plans meet redistricting standards. The commission then forwards the plans to the state legislature, which may decide whether to accept, amend, or reject the plans.
Election administration agencies[edit]
Election agencies[edit]
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Utah can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Utah County Clerks
Utah Lieutenant Governor, Elections Office
- 350 North State St, Suite 220
- P.O. Box 142325
- Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
- Phone: 801-538-1041
- Fax: 801-538-1133
- Email: https://cs.utah.gov/s/elections-request
- Website: https://elections.utah.gov/
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Ballotpedia's election coverage[edit]
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2024
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2024
See also[edit]
- 2024 election dates and deadlines
- Voting in Utah
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Utah
- Redistricting in Utah
Elections in Utah[edit]
- Utah elections, 2024
- Utah elections, 2023
- Utah elections, 2022
- Utah elections, 2021
- Utah elections, 2020
- Utah elections, 2019
- Utah elections, 2018
- Utah elections, 2017
- Utah elections, 2016
- Utah elections, 2015
- Utah elections, 2014
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ Salt Lake County Clerk, “Election Day Vote Centers,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Utah Lieutenant Governor: Elections, “State of Utah Voter Registration Form,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Utah Lieutenant Governor, “Learn how to register to vote,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Vote.Utah.gov, "State of Utah Voter Registration Form," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 14, 2024 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Utah State Legislature, “Section 207 Registration by provisional ballot,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Vote.Utah.gov, "State of Utah Voter Registration Form," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 State of Utah, "Learn more about voting by mail," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Justia, “Utah Code 20A-3a-204 (2022),” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Justia, “Utah Code 20A-3a-202,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Justia, "Utah §20A-1-102(2022)," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Justia, "Utah §20A-6-105." accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Utah State Legislature, "Utah Code § 20A-2-207" accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Provisional Ballots," accessed August 14, 2024
- ↑ Utah State Legislature, "Utah Code § 20A-9-403," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "20A-3a-105 (2022). Employee's right to time off for election," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Utah State Legislature, "Third Substitute H.B. 190," accessed August 14, 2024
- ↑ As of May 2024, the Justice Department notes, "Six States (Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are exempt from the NVRA because, on and after August 1, 1994, they either had no voter-registration requirements or had election-day voter registration at polling places with respect to elections for federal office."
- ↑ The United States Department of Justice, "The National Voter Registration Act of 1993," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "20A-2-305 (2022). Removing names from the official register," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Justia, "20A-2-306 (2022). Removing names from the official register," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Justia, "20A-2-306 (2022). Removing names from the official register," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ ERIC, "FAQ," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ ERIC, "Who We Are," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed August 14, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Election Assistance Commission, "Election Audits Across the United States," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted in October 2024, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Utah," accessed May 4, 2015
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