Utah voters can expect to see their ballots in their mailboxes this week or in the weeks to come, preparing for early voting and mail-in ballots.
As such, some election officials have offered a few recommendations on how best to make sure voters’ ballots are counted appropriately and voters can best be heard:
• Mark both sides of the ballot. Some voters can be focused on the front side, and neglect some of the important races on the reverse side of the mailed ballots.
• Be aware of some overturned amendments. Amendment A - which would have changed how taxes are applied to public education - and Amendment D - which would have changed how government entities could interact with citizen-led initiatives - have been overturned by Utah courts, rendering them void. However, due to ballot confirmation dates, they will still be printed on the ballots; votes on these issues will not be counted.
• Vote early and use ballot boxes where available. There has been significant discussion regarding some Utah votes which were delayed by processing in an out-of-state postal plant. Officials recommend voters submit their early and mail-in votes by dropping them off in ballot boxes or directly at County offices to avoid potential processing delays that may result in ballots being post-marked too late to be counted.
• Confirm your ballot is properly addressed to you. If you live in a household with multiple voters, you may end up with multiple ballots arriving at once. Confirm that your ballot is addressed to you – not your spouse, partner, roommate etc. – and that it is clearly printed and undamaged. You can request new ballots from a county clerk if necessary.
Amendments B and C are still valid and votes will still be counted for their proposals. Amendment B proposes more access to funding distribution for public schools, an increase from four to five percent. A vote “for” supports the increase in school funding. Amendment C proposes state-wide policy establishing county sheriff as an elected office. This would not have a major impact on Kane County, as Kane already elects its sheriff, so Kane County voters will simply be voting on whether to enshrine that in statewide policy – a vote “for” supports the office of sheriff being elected.
Note that October 22 marks the beginning of in-person early voting and November 5 is election day. November 4 is the last day on which mail-in ballots can be posted, but as above, officials recommend mailing in as soon as possible to avoid potential late marking.
Drop boxes in Kane County are found at the following locations:
•76 N Main St in Kanab
•11 1st W ST in Alton
•60 Aaron Burr in Big Water
•90 E Center St in Glendale
•425 E State St in Orderville
