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- Utah residents preparing for the Nov. 5 general election should note key deadlines and processes, including the Oct. 25 voter registration deadline and Oct. 29 deadline to request a mail ballot.
- Voters can register online, in person, or on Election Day with appropriate identification.
- Active registered voters will receive ballots by mail starting Oct. 15, with options to return them via mail or drop boxes by specific deadlines.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Nov. 5 general election will be here before you know it. Most active registered voters will start receiving their ballots by mid-October.
There are deadlines to know and additional information to keep in mind to ensure your ballot is counted.
In addition to voting in the presidential election, Utah voters have the opportunity this year to vote for governor, attorney general, a senator and congresspersons among other offices. There will also be several proposed constitutional amendments to consider. Here is what you need to know about how to vote, deadlines and more.
All voting information and deadlines comes from Utah's official website: Vote.Utah.gov.
Registering to vote
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 25. Your county clerk will need to receive your voting registration by 5 p.m. that day in order for you to vote.
There are three ways to register to vote: a paper registration form, online or registration in person. See the state's official website for more information on how to register to vote.
Say you miss the deadline to vote, you can register at an early voting location or at an Election Day voting location. To do so, you would need to bring two forms of identification to register to vote.
When do ballots come out?
Active registered voters will all automatically receive a ballot in the mail. County clerks will begin to mail ballots on Oct. 15. The final day you can request a mail ballot is Oct. 29, so keep an eye on your mailbox.
You can check to see if you are an active registered voter on Utah's voting website.
If you have moved to a different address, you will need to submit a new voter registration form to update your address.
Returning ballots
You have a couple of options for returning your ballot if you decide not to vote in person.
The first is through the mail, but you have to make sure your ballot is postmarked by the U.S. Post Office no later than Nov. 4, which is the day before the election. Putting your ballot in a mailbox does not necessarily mean it will be postmarked the same day or the day after. To get your ballot postmarked, it is best to go to the post office and have them do it.
Mailing your ballot as early as possible is good advice to follow as processing times may differ among post offices.
Some ballots have prepaid postage — it depends on which county you live in. Other ballots do not have prepaid postage. If your ballot does not have prepaid postage, a stamp will suffice. You could also put your ballot in a drop box location. But if you mail your ballot without postage, it will still be delivered to your county clerk.
You are able to track your ballot at BallotTrax.
Drop box locations are another option for returning your ballot. You need to put your ballot in a drop box before 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. You can check on Utah's voting website to find the drop box closest to you.
What will be on the ballot?
Utahns will vote in the elections for U.S. president and vice president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House District (one of 4 districts depending on where you live), Utah governor and lieutenant governor, Utah attorney general, state auditor and state treasurer.
Check your state senate and state house district to see what elections will be on the ballot. There are also county elections going on for offices like county commission or county recorder.
Judicial retention elections are also going on. The Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission has a website for you to learn more about retention elections. You can type in your county and see reports about the judges.
There will also be proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. Though Utahns will see four of them on the ballot, Amendment D has been voided. Amendment A is facing a legal challenge and there is a court hearing scheduled for Oct. 15. As of Oct. 2, there are no legal challenges to Amendment B or Amendment C.
When will we hear election results?
It depends. On the night of Election Day, Utahns will start to see vote totals. Some races may be "called" by the Associated Press — the news outlet does this when it appears statistically impossible for any other candidate except the one in the lead to win.
In the cases of close races, it can take days or weeks to have an idea of which candidates win.
Results will not be finalized until later on. The statewide canvass is not until Nov. 25.
