The 2018 primary election season is here! Voting during election season is a right and privilege as citizens of the Unites States that has a storied past. Out of all the votes cast in the 2016 Presidential Election about 25% of the votes cast were by mail. This is significant due to the fact that the majority of States are looking to expand options to vote by mail because of the positive response.  The vote by mail option is relatively new in this country so let’s take a brief look at the history of voting by mail here in Utah.

Introduced to Utah in 2013, vote by mail’s primary advantages are convenience, cost savings, and voter turnout. Vote by mail also allows voters to do research on each candidate on their own time wherever they feel comfortable. Utah is one out of twenty-two States that has this option available and interestingly enough four States (California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington) hold all elections by mail only. The decision to have the option to vote by mail in Utah is not a state wide decision but instead up each of the 29 counties within Utah. As of 2018, 27 of the 29 counties here (98% of Utah’s electorate) have this option. All registered voters in the Utah County’s that allow vote by mail will automatically receive a ballot with prepaid return envelopes if an election is being conducted by mail. Residents of Utah that don’t want to vote by mail need not fret as the option to vote in person is still available for those that like the traditional way. As more and more citizens become aware of the vote by mail options it won’t be a surprise to see more States and counties implementing this option in the upcoming elections.

Being aware of elections is half the battle, it is also important to do your part to ensure you can vote and know who you are voting for. Utah residents must be registered to vote in order to receive vote by mail. To make sure you are registered to vote or to register to vote visit https://secure.utah.gov/voterreg/index.html. If you are unsure if the county you live in has vote by mail you can find all information you need to know here – https://vote.utah.gov/vote/menu/index.

Some Important Dates: