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Election FAQs

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Voter Registration FAQs
Vote by Mail FAQs
Ballot Return FAQs

Voter Registration FAQ’s

In order to vote in the State of Utah, you must be registered. To register to vote in Utah, you must:

  • Be a citizen of the United States
  • Reside in Utah for at least 30 days immediately before the next election
  • Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election
  • A 17-year-old can vote if they will be 18 years old by that year's General Election

If you are not sure you are currently registered to vote and are a Salt Lake County resident, please call the Salt Lake County Election Division at (385) 468-8683 or Check Your Registration Status.

There are several ways you can register and you can select any one method that works for you.

Online Registration

You can register online to vote by going to the Online Voter Registration Website and completing the online form. In order to register online, you must have a current Utah Driver's License or ID Card. (You can update your address on your drivers license online before registering to vote by going to the Driver License Division's website. If you are registering online, you must submit your registration at least 11 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that election.

By-Mail Registration

You may use a mail-in voter registration form that can be found in our office or at Mail-in Voter Registration. If you are registering to vote using a mail-in voter registration form, you must mail your completed registration form at least 30 days before the election to be eligible to vote in that election.

In-Person Registration

You may register in person at the Salt Lake County Election Division, 2001 South State Street, S1-200, Salt Lake City. The office is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is closed on weekends and legal holidays. You must register in person at least 11 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that election.

Same Day Registration

You may go to an early voting location or Election Day Vote Center and register and vote at the same time if you have not previously registered or updated your registration after moving. You will be asked to complete a provisional ballot form, which becomes your voter registration form. Once you provide Identification and proof of residency, you will be issued a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will be counted and added to the election results once the Election staff has reviewed and accepted your provisional form for completeness.

You do not have to select a political party affiliation when you register to vote. If you do not wish to affiliate with a political party, just select "unaffiliated" on your voter registration form.

Political parties in Utah may choose to close their primary elections and only allow those voters affiliated with their party to vote in their primary election. If you want to vote in the primary election of a party that has chosen to close their primary to voters who are not affiliated with their party, you would need to affiliate with that political party. Note: Letters are mailed to unaffiliated voters allowing them to affiliate and participate in closed primary elections. Political parties allow "unaffiliated” voters to affiliate in-person and participate in their closed primary elections.

Party affiliation only pertains to partisan primary races held in even-numbered years. It doesn’t apply to non-partisan primary races or the November General Election.

Once you have registered to vote in the State of Utah, you don't need to re-register unless your registration status changes.

You will need to re-register if:

  • You have moved outside of the state and returned.
  • You have moved to Salt Lake County from another County.
  • Your legal name has changed.
  • Your registration has lapsed by not voting in the last two presidential elections.

If you are currently registered to vote in Salt Lake County, but you moved within the County, you will not need to re-register to vote. Please call the Election Division or send an e-mail with your name and your new address in Salt Lake County. We will update your address with your new address.

If you previously registered to vote in another county in the State of Utah, you will need to re-register to vote in Salt Lake County. Please refer to the information above regarding the various methods you can use to register to vote.

Please note, the post office does not forward ballots.

If you move outside of Salt Lake County, you will need to re-register to vote in the new county or state of residency.

Elections Division

(385) 468-7400

If you register to vote and subsequently change your legal name, you will need to re-register with the new name. If you have a Utah Driver License or State ID with your new name and current address you can register online. Or, if you prefer, you can fill out a new voter registration form and submit it to us via email or by mailing it to:

Elections Division

Salt Lake County Clerk

(385) 468-7400

Fax: (385) 468-7401

2001 South State Street , Ste S1-200
PO Box 144575
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114

Monday through Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

If you are registered to vote in Salt Lake County but moved within the County, you can call our office with your address change any time up through the Tuesday before Election Day. If you have been previously registered to vote in the State of Utah but did not update your address before Election Day, you may vote a provisional ballot at an early vote location or Vote Center on Election Day. Your provisional ballot will be counted and your voter registration will be updated.

Vote by Mail FAQ’s

You need to be a registered voter in Salt Lake County in order to receive a ballot. All registered voters are sent ballots and prepaid return envelopes for Vote by Mail Elections.

Your application must be received in the Clerk's Office no later than the Tuesday prior to Election Day.

If you have moved within Salt Lake County, call our office during business hours to update your address. You may also update your address by completing an online voter registration or downloading a mail-in voter registration form – both are available on our website.

Ballots must be mailed to a registered voter's residential or mailing address. We cannot mail ballots to anyone other than the voter.

Ballots are mailed 21 days before an election. Ballots cannot and will not be forwarded by the post office.

If you have not received your ballot within 7 days after they are mailed, call our office. Your voter registration will be checked to ensure that the information is correct. If the address is correct, a replacement ballot will be sent. If your information has changed, your registration will need to be updated and a new ballot will be sent.

If you received a vote-by-mail ballot, you are still allowed to vote in person as long as you have not returned your by-mail ballot. Your vote history is recorded in the database and will be checked by poll worker before you will be allowed to vote on the electronic voting machine.

Use a black or blue ballpoint pen. Completely fill in the oval.

  • Follow directions carefully.
  • Read the entire ballot before filling it out.
  • Sign the voter affidavit on the back of the return envelope.
  • Lost or damaged ballots can be replaced by contacting the Election Office.

If you make a mistake marking your ballot, cross through the incorrect oval and name. Fill in the correct oval; circle both the oval and the name of the correct choice. Make your intent clear. Remember, do not sign or initial your ballot.

The signature on that affidavit confirms your identity as the voter who voted the ballot. We compare the signature on the affidavit to the signatures in your voter record.

You may update your signature by completing an online voter registration form or a mail-in form that are both available on our website. If you do not have internet access, registration forms are found at post offices, and in our office.

Note: If there is an issue with your signature on your returned ballot envelope matching the one on file in your record, we will mail you a notice (cure letter) so you can resolve it and have your ballot counted.

If you are not sure whether you signed your affidavit, sign the outside of the envelope.

If you already mailed your unsigned ballot, we will mail you a notice (cure letter) so you can resolve it and have your ballot counted.

Cross off the wrong signature and sign the correct affidavit. If the envelope has already been sealed, and the affidavit was not signed by the other voter, you may sign the outside of the envelope.

No one else can sign your ballot affidavit for you. If you are unable to sign, please contact our office. If the signature you provided with your voter registration is a mark, you need only to make that mark for your ballot to count.

Individuals with power of attorney cannot sign the ballot affidavit for the voter.

Salt Lake County citizens who are either temporarily or permanently overseas and all active military personnel, including their spouses and dependents, are eligible to vote by absentee ballot under The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens and Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and Utah law.

You can find an application to vote by visiting the Federal Voting Assistance Program website or downloading the PDF linked below. Complete, sign and submit the application to our office by mail, fax or email.

Military and overseas ballots are sent 45 days prior to an election. We will continue to send by-mail ballots until the Thursday before the election and by-email ballots until the day before the election at 5 P.M.

Note: Military and overseas voters may receive their ballot via email.

For a ballot to be counted, it must be postmarked no later than the day before Election Day. All eligible ballots must arrive at the Election Division by 5pm on the last day of the Canvass Period. See our Dates and Deadlines page for exact dates for the upcoming election.

Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a type of ranked preferential voting where voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. The Utah State Legislature made RCV possible for municipal elections in Utah with the passing of HB 35, the Municipal Alternative Voting Methods Pilot Project. To learn more about how RCV works, please visit our Ranked Choice Voting information page.

Ballot Return FAQ

You may track your ballot at the Lieutenant Governor's website, by calling our office, or by using BallotTrax at the link below.

This is for voters who have been admitted to a hospital or care facility that still want to vote and the deadline to mail a ballot has passed.

Please call our office at (385) 468-7400.

No, you do not need to return your ballot by mail. Ballots may be returned to one of 28 drive-up drop boxes located throughout the county (open 24/7), or to an Early Voting or Election Day Vote Center during polling hours until 8:00 pm on Election Night.

No! There should only be one ballot in each envelope because we must have an affidavit signature for each ballot. If there are two ballots in one envelope, both ballots are invalid and a letter will be sent to one voter to gather both signatures for the ballots returned.