For Utah County voters, ballots for the 2020 election should start arriving in your mailboxes this week. The 2020 election is shaping up to be a big one.
Already in 2020, 132,000 people have either registered to vote or updated their registration — as compared to 22,000 in 2019. Many places around the country will be voting by mail, and while vote-by-mail is a controversial topic, there’s no controversy in Utah.
In the almost eight years Utah has been using vote-by-mail, there have been almost no problems with voter fraud as a result.
“The clerks in Utah have done an amazing job of preparing and making sure that our laws and our processes facilitate a good vote-by-mail election,” said Amelia Powers Gardner, Utah County’s Clerk Auditor.
Gardner says Utah took the best practices from other states when creating its vote-by-mail system, and a combination of strict deadlines, good laws and good organization is what makes Utah’s vote-by-mail system work so well.
That being said, for new and even returning voters, the ballot can be intimidating. Here’s how to fill out your ballot to make sure your vote gets counted:
1. Make sure you read the instructions included with your ballot. They will explain everything you need to know.
2. Use blue or black pen for filling in the bubbles (not checks or x’s) and fill the circle in all the way. This is explained in the instructions.
3. Make sure to sign your ballot envelope in the designated area. This is also explained in the instructions.
There are lots of different sections on the ballot. A sample ballot can be seen here including president, governor, state and local representatives, and much more. Make sure you read through every section on the ballot.
There’s also a section called judicial retention, which lists a bunch of judges. If you fill in the bubble that says “yes,” it means you want that person to remain a judge.
There are also seven proposed amendments to the Utah constitution, including the much-talked-about Amendment C which would remove the language in the Utah constitution that currently allows for slavery as punishment for a crime.
All the amendments can be read about here or on vote.utah.gov. Make sure to read through all those too.
For voters in Utah County, Proposition 9 is also on the ballot. “Prop 9” is a proposed change in the style of county government which would switch from a 3-person council to a council of five people and a county mayor. And if you live in Provo, the last measure on the ballot is a bond to repair Timpview High School, up to $80 million.
Anything and everything you need to know about voting in Utah, including info on the candidates, amendments, propositions and issues, is located on this website.
Don’t procrastinate; read the instructions, and get those ballots filled out and mailed in.
