SALT LAKE CITY — With less than 24 hours before polls open, voter turnout for Tuesday's primary election in Utah is about 19.4%, which is typical for primaries in the state.
It is too late to mail in a ballot, as a new Utah law change states that ballots must be in the possession of county clerks by 8 p.m. MT on Election Night in order to be counted. County clerks are recommending that people drop their mail-in ballots at secure drop boxes or vote in person.
When do polls close?
Polls close at 8 p.m. MT.
Who gets to vote?
Any registered voter may participate in the Democratic primary regardless of party registration. Only registered Republicans may vote in the Republican primary. Eligible voters may register in-person at the polls during the early voting period or on Election Day. Voters who are not affiliated with any political party may affiliate with the Republican Party at the polls on Election Day and vote in the Republican primary.
How many voters are there?
As of June 16, there were about 2.1 million registered voters in Utah, including about 1 million registered Republicans, about 297,000 registered Democrats and about 622,000 voters not affiliated with any party.
How many people actually vote?
Roughly 427,000 votes were cast in the 2024 Republican state primary. Total votes in Democratic primaries ranged from about 68,000 in the 2024 presidential primary to about 221,000 in the 2020 presidential primary.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
Elections in Utah are conducted predominantly by mail.
As of Thursday, about 163,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s primaries, including about 127,000 from Republicans, about 32,000 from Democrats and about 2,900 from unaffiliated voters.
When are early and absentee votes released?
Most counties tend to release a significant amount of early in-person and mail results in the 1st vote update of the night. But in about two-thirds of counties, advance voting results are released along with results from in-person Election Day voting.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 8:03 p.m. MT, or three minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:07 a.m. MT with about 74% of total votes counted. The tally surpassed 90% of the vote counted by June 27 at 4:32 p.m. MT, two days after Election Day.
How do recounts work?
Recounts are automatic in Utah only in the event of a tie vote. A losing candidate may request a recount if the vote margin is 0.25% of the total vote or less. In elections with fewer than 400 total votes cast, recounts may be requested if the winning margin is one vote. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
