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SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day — a holiday first observed in 2012 with the goal of helping Americans register ahead of the November elections.
As many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote, according to the National Voter Registration Day website, but nearly 4.7 million voters have registered on the holiday since 2012.
Here's a brief guide on how to check your registration status or register to vote in Utah ahead of this year's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8:
Check your registration status
To vote in Utah, your application must be received by your county clerk's office by 5 p.m., 11 calendar days before the election — this year that application deadline is Friday, Oct. 28 — so be sure to check well in advance so you don't miss it. If you have moved since you last voted, recently turned 18 or changed your name, you'll want to ensure your records are up to date.
Visit vote.utah.gov and select "Find my voter registration info" to check your status. You will be asked to provide your first and last name, date of birth and current address. From there, you can update your registration or ballot mailing address if there are any issues.
Register to vote in Utah
In order to vote in Utah, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Utah for at least 30 days before the election, and be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. Utah allows people who are convicted of felonies to vote, as long as they are not currently serving a prison sentence for the felony. Voting rights are automatically restored when someone is granted parole.
There are three primary methods for registering to vote, according to Utah's voter registration guide:
- Fill out a paper registration form and mail or email a scanned copy to your county clerk.
- Register online at voter.utah.gov. To register online, you must have a valid Utah driver's license or ID card.
- Register in person at your county clerk's office. Call ahead as protocols may differ between counties.
You can also register in person at early voting locations or Election Day voting locations but will need to present two forms of ID to do so.
Utah sends vote-by-mail ballots to all active registered voters between Oct. 18 and Nov. 1. Mail ballots must be postmarked the day before Election Day to count. You can also search for ballot drop box locations near you. BallotTrax allows you to track the status of your mail ballot, or you can check the vote.utah.gov site.
You can also vote in person if you prefer.
Utah voter statistics
According to the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, there are nearly 1.7 million active registered voters in Utah, with the majority registered as Republicans. Here's how many active voters are registered with each political party, as of Tuesday:
- Republican Party: 876,932
- Democratic Party: 233,952
- Independent American Party: 62,630
- Libertarian Party: 20,335
- Constitution Party: 6,531
- United Utah Party: 2,351
- Unaffiliated: 475,440
If you're surprised to see that the Independent American Party is the third most popular in Utah, you're not alone. Election officials believe that the party's high registration numbers stem in part from confused voters who think they are registering as independent from any political party.
Although the term "independents" often describes voters who don't belong to a party, in Utah, voters must register as unaffiliated if they don't want to be part of any political party.
"I would bet that 90% of people who are registered with the IAP don't realize they're registered with an actual political party," Utah County Clerk Josh Daniels told Deseret News in July. "We talk to them all the time."
Be informed about candidates and issues
Information about candidates and ballot measures can be found on vote.utah.org if you need to brush up ahead of Election Day.
The Utah Debate Commission is also hosting a series of debates for Utah's five congressional races this fall. The debates will be broadcast on multiple television and radio stations, and streamed live from media and university partner websites.
Here's a full schedule of upcoming debates and candidates who were invited to participate:
U.S. House District 3: Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at Brigham Young University
- John Curtis, Republican
- Glenn Wright, Democrat
U.S. House District 1: Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. at Weber State University
- Blake Moore, Republican
- Rick Jones, Democrat
U.S. House District 4: Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. at the University of Utah
- Darlene McDonald, Democrat
- Burgess Owens, Republican
- January Walker, United Utah
U.S. House District 2: Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Southern Utah University
- Cassie Easley, Constitution
- Nick Mitchell, Democrat
- Chris Stewart, Republican
U.S. Senate: Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at Utah Valley University
- Mike Lee, Republican
- Evan McMullin, Unaffiliated
