Unaffiliated Voters Get Info On How To Cast Ballots

The Summit County Clerk’s Office has sent a notice to unaffiliated voters in the county, inviting them to submit a form by Friday, January 3^rd.

That will allow them to receive a ballot in the mail, in plenty of time to cast a vote for the party of their choice, for the March 3^rd Presidential Primary and a June 23^rd Primary.   

Summit isn’t the only county sending out a notice.    Wasatch County Clerk Cal Griffiths said they also notified their registered, but unaffiliated voters.    However, Wasatch’s deadline is January 7^th, next Tuesday.

Summit County’s letter invites you to mark a form indicating that you wish to cast either a Democratic, or Republican  Presidential Primary ballot on March 3^rd, when Utah will join the states voting on Super Tuesday.

The voter can also choose either party for a ballot for the June Primary.

The one difference, as Summit County Chief Deputy Clerk Kellie Robinson pointed out, is that Democrats allow an open primary.    If you vote a Republican ballot, you will be affiliated with the GOP for future elections, unless the voter takes the active step later to de-register.

If you get your application form in to Summit County by the 3^rd, you will get your mail ballot for the Presidential Primary by about Feb 14^th; and the Primary Election ballot by around June 5^th.

Robinson said this is not your last chance to get a submission in, but they want to get as many as possible for their first order to the printer by January 8^th, to indicate how many party ballots to turn out and to what voters.

She said they will send updated orders to the printer on a weekly basis.   The cutoff will be February 25^th for the Presidential Primary and June 23^rd for the state primary.

Robinson said previously the state political parties conducted their Presidential Primary balloting.   But the state allocated money for the Super Tuesday voting.

When you mail in your ballot, it must be postmarked by March the 2^nd; and for the state primary, by June 22^nd.     And both county clerks noted that a voter can also show up on election day and ask for a ballot, again with the condition that you register with the GOP to vote with that party.

Kellie Robinson said that Summit County sent out notices to  10,335 unaffiliated voters.    By comparison, she said they have 8985 Republican voters registered and 6702 Democrats.

In Wasatch County, Cal Griffiths said they sent notices to about 5300 unaffiliated voters.