Registering to vote in time for November’s election
Oct 17, 2024, 12:00 PM
Ryan Primosch, of Lehi, drops his ballot in a ballot drop box during primary election voting held at the Lehi Public Safety Building in Lehi on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The countdown to November’s election is almost over and Utah’s ballots are in the mail.
As of the last count, Director of Elections in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office Ryan Cowley said there are 1.75 million active voters in Utah.
“Over the last month we’ve had about 23,000 additional voter registrations,” Cowley said. “That’s not a huge number but it is slowly climbing, and I imagine as we get closer to the registration deadline and the election itself, I think we’ll see that number continue to grow.”
Cowley said the next big date voters need to pay attention to is Oct. 25. That is the last day people can register to vote and still get a mail-in ballot.
“The ballots are going out this week,” Cowley said. “If you don’t get a ballot within the next couple of days, double check your voter registration at vote.utah.gov. You can look yourself up, check your status and if you don’t get that ballot, contact your county clerk.”
If you’re not registered to vote, it’s not too late. If a person registers to vote by Oct. 25 before 5 p.m., Cowley said they can still receive a ballot by mail.
Voters can register to vote by going to vote.utah.gov or visiting their county clerk’s office. People who miss the Oct. 25 deadline can register in person or at a polling location during early voting or on election day. Cowley said voters who register in person should bring their ID with them, along with proof of residency, or cast a provisional ballot.
Making your vote count
Cowley said there are some things he and his team are encouraging people to do to ensure their ballot will be counted in November’s election.
“The main things that we want to try and get out there right now are just some voter awareness things. Making sure that you take the time to fill your ballot out correctly and neatly,” Cowley said. “The postmark deadline is [Nov. 4,] which is the day before the election, but don’t wait until then.”
According to Cowley, there’s a drop box in every city, but if a person chooses to mail their ballot in, mail it out early to make sure the ballot has no mistakes.
“One of the most common things that we see, reasons why ballots don’t count, is because voters forget to sign the envelope,” Cowley said. “Before you mail it out, make sure that you sign that because without a signature, the ballot won’t be able to be counted.”
Voters can keep track of their ballot by going to trackmyballot.utah.gov.
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