SALT LAKE CITY — Vote-by-mail ballots for municipal elections are trickling back to county clerks, but there are still thousands lingering at voters' fingertips.

With only days left until Monday's postmark deadline and Tuesday's primary election, municipal elections officials are still counting high percentages of by-mail ballots that have yet to be returned.

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen is urging voters to send their ballots back this weekend, not only to boost voter turnout, but to prevent a surge of last-minute ballots Tuesday night.

"Get out there and vote," Swensen said. "Drop off your ballot to make sure it's included in that count on election night."

As of Wednesday, 19 percent of the 117,600 ballots that hit mailboxes last month in the eight Salt Lake County cities holding primary elections have made their way back.

Davis County's return rate also is about 19 percent, according to Clerk/Auditor Curtis Koch.

Scott Hogensen, Utah County chief deputy clerk/auditor, said elections officials there have only counted absentee ballot return rates, which range from 22 percent in Eagle Mountain to 36 percent in Pleasant Grove.

Orem officials, however, have been keeping tabs on how many by-mail ballots have been returned. According to the city's website, less than 12 percent had been returned as of Friday.

As for Salt Lake City, which is holding a high-profile mayoral election, 27 percent of nearly 72,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been returned, according to Rozan Mitchell, Salt Lake County elections director.

Mitchell has said that while final turnout will likely vary from city to city based on public interest, it's expected Salt Lake City's vote-by-mail program, along with a high-profile mayoral race, will attract a 40 percent turnout for primary elections and up to 60 percent participation for the general election.

While there's still progress to be made, Mitchell said, return rates are looking up compared with past years. In 2011, she said voter turnout was less than 13 percent.

"We've already had a much higher turnout in this election than we've seen in comparable elections," Mitchell said.

Koch said he, too, is excited to see that this year's voter turnout is already showing a jump from comparable municipal election years. For example, Kaysville's turnout of 19 percent so far has more than doubled since the city's previous primary election in 2013, which only saw a 9 percent voter response, he said.

But while this year's vote-by-mail system — a first for dozens of Utah cities — is already showing an increase in voter participation, Koch said voters could be doing more.

Related:

First surge of vote-by-mail ballots hit Utahns' mailboxes

Sixteen pallets stacked full of ballots arrived at the Salt Lake City Post Office. (Photo: Mike Anderson/KSL-TV)

"We've very happy with it, but … we can do better," he said. "Step up and vote."

Ballots can be mailed back as long as they're postmarked by Monday. Although traditional polling locations will not be available in vote-by-mail cities, Swensen said voters wishing to cast their ballots in person can still go voting centers throughout Salt Lake County. A list of polling locations can be found on the county's elections website.

Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at those polling centers the day of the primary election.

The first preliminary results of the primary election will be posted about 8 p.m. Tuesday. Between 9 p.m. and midnight, election officials will tally and post results from the polling centers and remaining vote-by-mail ballots, Mitchell said.

However, results won't be official until Aug. 18, after cities conclude officially canvasses.

With so many Utah cities implementing city-wide vote by mail, State Elections Director Mark Thomas said there may be added uncertainty whether preliminary results will differ significantly from the official results. Such situations are rare, he said.

"Election night results are not official," Thomas said. "It really does depend on that late rush."

"We've never done a vote-by-mail, so I don't know how many will drop their ballots later in the day," Swensen said. But later tallies usually don't show a difference in results unless it's a close vote, she said.

Because the vote-by-mail program is new to many cities, Swensen said it's difficult to predict how many ballots will be needed to reach a comfortable voter-turnout threshold so preliminary and official results don't vary.

Swensen said she would love to see a 35 percent return Tuesday night in Salt Lake City, as an example, which is expected to have a 40 percent voter turnout.

"We would love to have as many of those mail-in ballots counted and displayed in those results," she said.

The Nov. 3 general election will also be conducted by mail in 14 of Salt Lake County's 16 cities, along with eight Davis County cities and four Utah County cities. Ballots for the general election will be sent out Oct. 5.

The following cities are holding primary elections Tuesday.

Salt Lake County

Vote by mail: Salt Lake City, South Jordan, West Jordan, South Salt Lake, Midvale, Herriman, Holladay.

Traditional polling: West Valley City.

Utah County

Vote by mail: Orem, Lehi, Cedar Hills, Vineyard.

Traditional polling: Provo, Pleasant Grove, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Payson, Elk Ridge.

Davis County

Vote by mail: Farmington, Kaysville, Syracuse.

Traditional polling: Centerville, Layton, South Weber, West Bountiful, West Point.

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