Utah ballots are set to hit mailboxes over the next couple of weeks and Summit County is busy preparing for a COVID-19 election on November 3rd. The county has measures in place to help the process go as smooth as possible.
Every registered voter in Utah will be receiving their ballot by mail starting next week. The state has conducted their elections primarily by mail for years now and held a mail-in only primary election in June due to COVID-19 concerns.
For next month’s general election, the majority of ballots will be cast by mail but in-person early voting and election day polling locations will be open at various locations around the state for voters who choose to cast their ballots in person.
Early in-person voting begins on October 20th. Summit County residents will be able to vote early at the clerk’s office at the Summit County Courthouse in Coalville on normal business days and normal business hours until October 30th.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before November 2nd but voters will also have the option of dropping off their ballot at a designated drop-off location until 8pm on election day, November 3rd.
Summit County Manager Tom Fisher said there are several drop-off options for voters in the county.
“We also have drop-box locations all over the county,” Fisher said. “There’s one at Coalville City Hall, there’s one at the clerk’s office in the courthouse in Coalville, the Kamas County Services building, Park City Hall, the Richins building at the library in Kimball Junction, the Jeremy-Pinebrook Fresh Market has a drop box, and The Market in Park City has a drop box.”
A drive-through voting center will also be available on election day from 7:00am to 8:00pm at the Summit County Fairgrounds in Coalville. The drive-through will be able to assist anyone who is looking for a replacement ballot or to register to vote on election day. The fairgrounds will also serve as the county’s in-person voting location on election day.
Fisher said in a more normal year, voting assistance and in-person voting would be handled at the county courthouse but COVID-19 restrictions have forced election day services outside this year.
“Well, normally we would have a polling place in the courthouse, but because of COVID we’re doing this so that we can make it a little safer for those that want to vote in that way,” he said.
Mail-in ballots will begin to be sent out on October 13th. To register to vote in Utah or to check your registration status, visit vote.utah.gov. More information about voting in Summit County, including a full list of ballot drop-off locations, can be found here.
