Utah vote-by-mail tightens deadline this municipal election

SALT LAKE CITY — Mail-in ballots are on their way to homes across Utah, but this year, voters who choose to use the Postal Service have a shorter deadline than ever.

In years past, ballots could trickle into the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office for a few days after election day as long as they were postmarked appropriately, but no longer. The 2025 municipal and primary election marks the beginning of a new standard.

"You need to make sure that it's in your clerk's hands by 8 p.m. on election night," explained Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman.

Chapman said that the former rule gave a little extra flexibility to the voter.

"Our previous law used to be that it had to be postmarked by the day before election day," she said.

Now, voters who choose to mail in their ballots will need to give their envelopes as much time as possible.

"I would suggest people, if they're going to use the post office, to turn it in no later than the Friday before Election Day," Chapman said.

"So for me, as they move these deadlines up, it's just, hey, I can't procrastinate," said Stephen Su'a-Filo, candidate for a City Council position in Lehi. "If I want my voice heard, I gotta follow these rules and guidelines that they've given me."

Su'a-Filo has a background as a civil engineer and is running on the promise of bringing an infrastructure perspective to Lehi. He said he hopes changes like this deadline will have a positive impact on voters.

"I'm trusting that my elected officials have my best interests in mind," Su'a-Filo said.

Voter turnout tends to be dramatically lower during municipal elections than during federal elections. Both the candidate and the clerk expressed hope that this deadline change would not further impact turnout.

As always, voters can still drop off their ballots at official drop boxes or vote in person on Election Day. For more information or to track your ballot, visit Utah's official voting website.

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