ELECTIONS
Election Day 2018 deadlines: what you need to know
Oct 9, 2018, 12:13 PM | Updated: Nov 8, 2022, 11:40 am
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SALT LAKE CITY — With Election Day 2018 now just four weeks away, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, is the last day to register to vote by mail. But if you miss that mark, you still have opportunities to register before the votes are counted.
If you miss the Oct. 9 deadline to register to vote by mail, you can still register to vote either in person at your county clerk’s office or online through Oct. 30, 2018.
Where to register for Election Day 2018
Under Utah law, citizens can register to vote online, so long as the address on your driver’s license matches the address on your voter registration. If it is not current, you would need to update your address with the Driver License Division before registering to vote online.
Voters can also update their existing registration through the state’s secure website, to include such information as party affiliation and whether the voter prefers to receive ballots by mail.
What about mail-in ballots?
County clerks will be mailing ballots to voters between Oct. 8 and Oct. 16, 2018. In Utah, all “active, registered” voters except those in Carbon and Emery Counties will automatically receive a mail-in ballot. The postmark deadline to return a mail-in ballot is Nov. 5, which is the day before Election Day 2018. If you miss the postmark deadline, you can drop your ballot off in person at your polling location, the county clerk’s office, or a ballot drop box.
Election Day voting options
On Election Day itself, voters can also register and vote in-person at their polling location. If you choose this option, you will need to provide identification and proof of residence, such as a current utility bill.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, whose office oversees elections for the state of Utah, urged voters not just to register but also to make sure they vote in the midterm election. In 2016, Cox says Utah voter turnout was 39th in the nation. His office launched a video on Twitter urging voters to “Get registered. Get Educated. Get Voting.”
Utah was ranked 39th in the national for voter turnout in the 2016 election. While we may be the home of funeral potatoes, let’s not have a funeral for democracy. Register to vote today. pic.twitter.com/8PENwTsiM9
— Vote Utah (@ElectionsUtah) October 9, 2018
Any voter can look up his or her registration information, polling location and view sample ballots through vote.utah.gov.
