Study: Utah voter turnout lowest in nation


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Voter turnout in Utah two years ago was the lowest in the country.

According to a U.S. Census study, only 36.7 percent of Utah's eligible voters who were surveyed said they voted in the 2006 general election. Utah was No. 51 on the list, which included all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The national average was 47.8 percent and the top state was Minnesota with 65.4 percent.

Kelly Patterson, a political science professor at Brigham Young University, said 2006 wasn't a very competitive year in the three congressional districts and the U.S. Senate race.

"Campaigns were not spending a lot of time motivating voters to register and get out to vote like we normally see with the most competitive races," Patterson said.

Utah also has a lot of young voters, a demographic that tends to make it to the polls less often, Patterson said.

The study also said Utah was near the bottom of the list when it comes to voter registration. Utah's registration rate of 56.8 percent was the third-lowest, more than 10 percent below the national average of 67.6 percent, despite efforts to simplify the registering process.

"If people haven't voted, it's not because they do not know how," said Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen. "It's because they have chosen not to."

Swensen said the county sends postcards to the home of every registered voter, listing where and when to vote and giving early voting options. Registration forms are also available in grocery stores and post offices.

Voters can also request online to have a ballot mailed to them.

The Legislature has in recent years tightened the registration rules, including cutting the deadline for by-mail registration from 20 days before an election to 30 days. Voters can register in person up to 15 days before the election, but have to go to the county clerk's office to do so.

Swensen said she would like to see Utah allow voters to register at the polls on Election Day with proof of residency, a practice that is allowed in other states.

"A lot of people just don't think about elections 30 days in advance," she said.

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Information from: Deseret News

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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