Friday is the last recommended day to vote by mail
Nov 17, 2023, 12:40 PM | Updated: May 29, 2024, 11:01 am
FILE: A ballot is dropped off at West Valley City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Utah lawmakers are considering a bill that would replace the Columbus Day holiday with an Election Day holiday. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — If you plan to vote by mail in Utah this election cycle, county clerks are advising people to put their ballots in the outgoing mail today.
“Rule of thumb…always best to take it to the post office, but outgoing mail should be okay [Friday],” Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman told KSL NewsRadio.
In Utah, all ballots, in any general election, must be postmarked by the Monday before Election Day.
Related: Voting deadlines to remember ahead of Utah’s Election Day
That postmark deadline this year is Nov. 20 due to the special election to replace Congressman Chris Stewart.
Postmark means the post office must stamp your ballot no later than Nov. 20. If they stamp it any day after, including Election Day, county clerks cannot count your vote.
Other ways to cast your vote
If you can’t get your ballot in the mail by Friday, you have a few options:
- Bring your ballot into the post office no later than Monday, Nov. 20 and ask a worker to stamp it that same day.
- Drop your ballot in a drop box. Drop boxes are open through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Vote in-person. Polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Go to an early voting location.
If you’re worried you might’ve cut it a little close, all Utahns can track the status of their ballots on the state’s ballot tracker website.
Be aware, poll workers cannot count ballots until Election Day, so if you’ve already turned in your ballot and it hasn’t been counted, don’t be alarmed.
The importance of voting
Chapman said it’s obviously important to vote for national leaders, which is something voters don’t typically get to do during municipal cycles.
But, voters in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District get to decide which candidate will replace Stewart, who resigned earlier this year due to his wife’s health.
Even so, Chapman said it’s just as important to vote for their local municipal leaders, including this election.
“They’re the ones that decide what roads to fix, where to put bike paths…parks [and] what to prioritize in your neighborhood,” Chapman said. “It is so quintessential that you are represented there.”
For more Utah voter information, visit the state’s official website for voting resources.
“Have your voice heard because it’s important,” Chapman said.
