HB197 was passed by the Utah Legislature in 2021 and sets a deadline of March 31st for people looking to change their party affiliation and still be able to vote in that party’s primary election.
In order to participate in a Republican primary in Utah, you have to be a registered Republican. Democrats and unaffiliated voters can vote in the state’s Democratic primary.
As a whole, Utah politics lean heavily to the right, with a Republican Governor, supermajorities in both state houses, and zero Democrats holding any Federal or statewide offices.
According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 30% of the state identifies as Democrats and 16% are unaffiliated. The remaining 54% say they’re Republicans.
With one party holding so much power in the state, there have been calls on social media in recent years encouraging Democrats and unaffiliated voters to re-register as Republicans. Some people have said this could give all Utahns more of a say in state politics, where many races are actually decided in the Republican primary.
Despite social media posts about party switching, the numbers for the last election don’t really back it up as a real phenomenon in Utah.
A Princeton University study showed over 97,000 new Republicans registered in Utah for the 2020 election, but researchers said that number was driven overwhelmingly by new voters and people re-registering as Republicans, not by Democrats switching parties.
People who change their party affiliation after March 31st won’t have that change recorded until November’s election.
Primaries for both Democrats and Republicans in Utah take place on June 28th. Election day is November 8th.
