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SALT LAKE CITY — With less than three weeks to go to Election Day, plenty of people still have questions about how they can register to vote, how they can vote and what to do if they have an unusual problem.
With mail-in balloting in 21 of our 29 counties, many Utahns have already received their ballots and already voted. But many will run into questions because this is a new process.
At the State Elections Office on Thursday, a steady stream of calls came in from interested voters. And for the first time in a major election, most of the voters this election will vote by mail, said state elections director Mark Thomas.
People can still register to vote online at voter.utah.gov or in person at their county clerk's office until Nov. 1. They can also register at the polls on Election Day in eight counties as a pilot program, which should help voter turnout. The counties in the pilot program include Cache, Davis, Kane, Millard, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete and Weber counties.
The state elections director said it's also a failsafe in case a person has been unable to register.
"If they are qualified, let's get them to cast a ballot and let's get that counted,” Thomas said.
Mail-in ballots were sent to voters Oct. 11-Oct. 18. Voters who didn't receive their ballot should get it in the next few days. If not, they should contact their county clerk, or go online at vote.utah.gov to find out whether the ballot has been sent.
"If there are any issues or questions, go to the polls. Let's get it sorted out,” Thomas said.
It costs about $3 million to put on a statewide election in Utah. The elections director expects vote by mail will save taxpayers some money, but they're not sure how much.
"We'll collect it all, and then analyze it after the election,” Thomas said.
People who have questions about candidates and other ballot items in their county can go to vote.utah.gov, type in their address and find profiles of the candidates and information on the three constitutional amendments.
Contributing: Xoel Cardenas
