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SALT LAKE CITY — About 402,000 ballots flooded Salt Lake County voters' mailboxes Monday afternoon.
Voters in other Utah municipalities holding vote-by-mail elections will receive their ballots by the end of the week.
Fourteen of Salt Lake County's 16 cities and 90 of Utah's 246 municipalities have opted for mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election.
It's the first year Salt Lake City and other cities in Salt Lake and Utah counties have chosen vote-by-mail as a standard, and Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen expects a record-setting ballot return rate for this year's municipal election.
"We had an extraordinarily high turnout in the primary election. In Salt Lake City, it was an unprecedented 40 percent, and other cities even hit 30-some-odd percent," Swensen said. "With vote-by-mail and that participation rate, I think we can see maybe 60 or 70 percent overall. … That would be an excellent turnout and unlike anything we've ever seen."
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Swensen said several important issues should drive voters to turn in their ballots, including Salt Lake City's high-profile mayor's race, a proposed countywide quarter-cent sales tax increase to pay for transportation projects, and a measure to let unincorporated voters decide if they want to annex into a city or become a metro township.
"I believe that residents will again find that vote-by-mail elections are convenient, cost-free and confidential," said Salt Lake City Recorder Cindi Mansell.
- For ballots to be eligible, they must be postmarked by Nov. 2.
- If voters miss the postmark deadline, ballots can be dropped off on Election Day at city vote centers or at drop boxes listed on the Salt Lake County Clerk's website.
Although traditional polling locations won't be available in vote-by-mail cities this year, voters can still go to vote centers if they prefer to cast their ballots in person, Swensen said.
In-office voting is also available at the Salt Lake County Complex from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 30.
Residents can register to vote at vote.utah.gov.