SALT LAKE CITY — Mail ballots are already being sent to voters across Salt Lake County ahead of the June 23rd primary election, and election officials are warning residents about a key change in how those ballots must be returned.
New law impacts ballot timing
A new Utah law is changing the rules for mail-in ballots, and officials said it makes timing more important than ever for voters who plan to participate.
Salt Lake County elections are conducted primarily by mail, with ballots automatically sent to active registered voters ahead of Election Day.
Ballots arriving in mailboxes soon
County Clerk Lannie Chapman said voters should begin seeing ballots arrive in mailboxes this week.
“The June Primary is coming up this June 23rd. Ballots are actually at the post office today, and some of our voters will actually start hitting our mailboxes starting today,” she said.
Officials estimated more than 90% of Salt Lake County voters cast their ballots by mail, making the recent change especially significant.
New deadline for receiving ballots
Under the new law, ballots must now be physically in the clerk’s possession by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Previously, ballots only needed to be postmarked by the day before Election Day. The change comes from House Bill 300, which passed last year.
“So the old rule was that it had to be postmarked the day before election day. That has changed. The new law requires it to be in the clerk’s custody by 8 p.m. on election night,” Chapman said.
Methods for returning completed ballots
Voters can return ballots by mail, place them in one of Salt Lake County’s ballot drop boxes or drop them off at a vote center on Election Day before polls close at 8 p.m.
Primary election rules and eligibility
This is a partisan primary election, meaning political parties are narrowing down candidates ahead of the November general election.
Voter eligibility depends on party affiliation.
Republican voters must be registered with the party to participate, while eligible voters may request a Democratic ballot.
“Over 90% of people that participate in any given election, in Salt Lake County, since we started being a primarily vote-by-mail state, utilize their mail ballot,” Chapman said.
More information about voting rules, registration and ballot drop box locations is available here.
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