In 2023 Utah lawmakers passed House Bill 365, which prohibits the state’s voters from changing their political party affiliation after Jan. 9 at 5 p.m.
Once a voter has picked a party, they won’t be able to change it until July, after the primary elections conclude.
The Republican Party has long dominated in the Beehive State.
Utahns did elect Democrat Ben McAdams to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. But a Democrat hasn’t won the governorship or a Utah seat in the U.S. Senate for decades.
The heavy advantage puts extra emphasis on the Republican primary race, which determines who will represent the party on Utah’s general election ballot.
Republicans in Utah hold closed primary elections, which means only people registered with the party can vote. Democratic primaries are open in Utah, meaning even unaffiliated voters can participate.
In 2024 the GOP presidential primary in Utah will be decided at neighborhood caucuses, rather than a traditional election on Super Tuesday.
Residents have other party choices outside of the major two. They include the Constitution, Independent American, Libertarian, United Utah, and Utah Forward parties. Voters can also choose to be unaffiliated.
People can change their party affiliation and update their voter registration online at vote.utah.gov.
