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SALT LAKE CITY — With just a week to go until Election Day on Nov. 5, what's the best way for Utahns who haven't voted yet to return their ballots?
Utahns have several options for getting their completed ballots to back to their county clerks for counting. One is the same way ballots arrive in the state's largely by-mail elections, through the U.S. Postal Service. Ballots can also be deposited in a designated drop box, or at an early voting location.
Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman encouraged voters to return their ballots by "whatever method they want to use."
Voters who want to mail back their ballots but haven't done so by Friday should head to a post office, she said, and request their ballot envelope be date-stamped at the counter to ensure it gets postmarked as required by Nov. 4, the Monday before Election Day.
"That will make sure that I'm able to count that ballot," Chapman said. "Of course, we also have 28 amazing drop box locations throughout Salt Lake County. They're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week until, by law, they have to be closed on election night at 8 p.m."
Late postmarks were an issue in June's 2nd Congressional District GOP primary race that Rep. Celeste Maloy won in a recount by just 176 votes. Challenger Colby Jenkins' campaign alleged that some southern Utah voters turned their ballots in on time, but the Postal Service practice of sending mail to Las Vegas for processing meant they were postmarked after the deadline.
As of Tuesday, Salt Lake County voters can also drop off their completed ballots at five new early voting locations, in addition to the Salt Lake County Government Center, where early voting has been underway since Oct. 21. On Election Day, completed ballots can be brought to any of the county's 30 polling places.
Chapman said she has no preference for how county residents cast their ballots.
"The way I look at is not all voters have access the same way. So not everybody has the ability to go out to our drop boxes, or go vote in person for a multitude of reasons. It could be health or otherwise. I believe that we are a better community when we all have the ability to participate in our elections," she said.
Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson has his own views on how to vote.
"Election Day is still the 5th. I mean, that's when people should really go vote," Davidson said. Asked why, he said "things come up and people think, 'I wish I could take my vote back.' You can't once you cast that vote. There's still election campaigning going on up until Election Day so if you want to take advantage of everything, and all the information, you should wait until Election Day."
On Election Day, there will be 13 polling places throughout the county, but early voting is available only at a single location in downtown Provo, the Utah County Health and Justice Building. For voters who want to return their ballot without going there or waiting until Election Day and taking it to a polling place, Davidson's preference is clear.
"I really value the drop box over the U.S. mail," he said. Why? "Chain of custody. Once we receive it, it is very strict. Two people have to be involved in the whole process. But when it goes through the mail, we have no idea who touches that mail. There's no chain of custody on that ballot — not saying anything nefarious is happening, but there's the possibility it could."
Utah County has 28 drop boxes.
