Ballots are officially in the mail. Finally, something productive to do with all these opinions we have.
We’ve spent the last two years saying, “Remember this when you vote.” Well, here we are, at the remembering part.
Here’s our quick guide to getting it done. It’s for you, your friends, the 18-year-old in your life, and the person who’s about to text you asking what day the election is. Read it. Share it. Forward it. We’d like to avoid another few years of “Wait, how did that happen?”
First, an invitation: Vote-toberfest
So before we get into your ballot, let’s get something on your calendar.
Join us for Vote-toberfest on Saturday, October 24, from noon to 4 p.m. at Fisher Brewing Company in Salt Lake City. Come hang out, meet other people who care about Utah, and talk politics with us in person. It’s like watching our videos, except you can interrupt.
Not to toot our own horn, but we throw a good party. But this one might be our best yet. There are going to be games, raffles, merch, candidates, organizations, and some fun surprises in store. So bring your friends, especially the one who keeps saying they want to get more involved.
Free to attend. Ages 21+. RSVP here!
Vote This Sway
As the resident political people in our friend groups, every election we get some version of the same question: “Can you just tell me who you’re voting for?”
Yes. We have, in fact, made being asked for our opinions into an entire business.
This year, we’re putting our recommendations on Sway, a website and app where you can see what’s on your ballot and find recommendations from people and organizations you trust. Join our Elevate Utah group to find our picks.
You can also start your own group and share your recommendations. Do you have a book club? Neighborhood friends? The family group chat? Mahjong club? Give everyone somewhere to find your picks without making you retype them eleven times. Your friends already come to you because they trust you. Make it easy for them.
Before your ballot joins that pile on the counter
You know the pile. We all have one. Your ballot deserves better. Let’s not lose it among the Jiffy Lube coupons this year.
Fill it out, then make a plan to return it. Whether you’re voting by mail, using a drop box, or going in person, a few reminders:
Check the envelope before you seal it. Use the return envelope with your name on it, sign it, and follow the instructions to write the last four digits of your Utah driver’s license or state ID, or your Social Security number in the space provided. Yes, even if you’ve voted by mail forever. We are reading the instructions this year!
Track your ballot. Sign up for text or email updates through Utah’s BallotTrax service. You track a package containing one pair of socks. Track the thing that helps determine who runs your state, and get a little dopamine hit when you’re told your vote has been counted. If your ballot status shows a problem, contact your county clerk.
If you’re voting by mail, mail it early. A new state law (boo) requires ballots to be in the county clerk’s possession by 8 PM on Election Day. Gone are the days when a ballot postmarked on Election Day will be counted. If it’s October 27th or later, don’t risk a mail delay – take your ballot to a drop box or an in-person vote center.
Find your drop box now. Use Utah’s voter lookup to find voting locations and check your information. Pick a drop-off day and put it on your calendar (for real, do it). “I’ll do it sometime” is how a ballot gets to the bottom of the pile.
No ballot, wrong address, or something looking off? Contact your county clerk. Don’t let a fixable administrative problem become your reason for sitting out an election.
Start from the bottom?
First, the judges.
You are not expected to personally follow the career of every judge on your ballot. You have a job. Maybe children. At minimum, several passwords you need to remember.
That’s why the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission evaluates judges and publishes recommendations to help you decide whether to retain them. This year, JPEC recommends retaining every judge it evaluated except Weber County Justice Court Judge Trent Nelson. Check the names on your ballot.
Our rule: a judge doing the job well shouldn’t lose it because a politician didn’t like being told no. Calls to remove judges over particular rulings have become serious enough that the Utah State Bar has urged voters to rely on performance evaluations. With Utah GOP leaders explicitly targeting Supreme Court justices, we recommend voting to retain Justice Jill Pohlman.
The Legislature already removed partisan-balance requirements for judicial nominating commissions in 2023. Removing a judge creates a vacancy to be filled through that appointment system. That’s worth remembering before voting to fire someone for making the Legislature mad.
Now, those pesky constitutional amendments.
There are two on your ballot, and we’re voting no on both, for different reasons.
Let’s start with Amendment B. It would require citizen initiatives that increase taxes to win 60% approval. Legislators could still pass tax increases with a simple majority.
Apparently, majority rule needs an upgrade the moment the majority is all of us. Under that threshold, Utah’s 2018 Medicaid expansion and medical marijuana initiatives would have failed despite winning more yes votes than no votes.
We should always be suspicious when people in power ask us to give up some of ours. Especially when they’ve thoughtfully exempted themselves from the inconvenience.
Just remember B is bad! Vote no on B. Here is our full video on Amendment B.
Amendment A: read the fine print about the fine print.
Amendment A would remove the Constitution’s newspaper-publication requirement for proposed amendments and let state law set the publication method. The implementing law calls for online notices, still for 60 days.
We’re not opposed to the internet. Unfortunately, we work here.
Our concern is giving lawmakers more discretion over how they notify us about changes to the Constitution, particularly after the Amendment D mess in 2024. That measure was voided over misleading ballot language and failure to meet publication requirements.
“Could everyone please follow the existing rules?” continues to be our most demanding policy position.
We’re voting no on A, too. We’d rather keep the publication requirement in the Constitution than leave the method up to lawmakers.
Our most professional advice: vote so people bother you less
Campaigns can generally see whether you’ve voted, not who you voted for. Once your returned ballot appears in updated voter data, campaigns using those updates can remove you from their lists. They don’t want to spend their time and money asking someone to vote who already has.
It isn’t instant, and it won’t stop every text. But the sooner you vote, the sooner those reminders will taper off.
We wish civic duty were everyone’s strongest motivator. We are also prepared to work with spite and a desire for fewer notifications.
Friends who vote together…
Send this to three friends. Then ask them when they’re returning their ballots.
“I’m definitely voting” is a statement of intent. “I’m dropping it off Thursday after work” is a plan.
Invite people over to fill out ballots, look up the judges together, and make a drop-box trip. Bring snacks. Or wine. Democracy has asked a lot of us this year; we might as well have company.
And follow up. You can be mildly annoying to people you love for three weeks. It’s an act of service.
Important dates
October 20: Early in-person voting begins. Check your county’s locations and hours at vote.utah.gov.
October 23, 5 p.m.: Deadline for your county clerk to receive your regular voter registration. Miss it? You can still register in person during early voting or on Election Day with two acceptable forms of identification. Check the ID requirements before you go.
October 27, 5 p.m.: Last day to request a mail ballot. Active registered voters receive one automatically. October 27 is also one week before Election Day, the minimum mailing cushion USPS generally recommends. Mail earlier if you can. After this, our advice is to use an official drop box.
November 3: Election Day. Your ballot must be received by 8 p.m. A postmark won’t save you. Drop boxes and polls close at 8 p.m. If you’re in line to vote by then, stay in line.
You know who needs this
If this made your ballot less intimidating, send it to someone whose ballot is currently under a takeout menu. And if you want to support the work behind the recommendations, explainers, and increasingly specific jokes about state government, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
We spend a lot of time explaining what the people in charge are doing. This is the part where we get a say in who those people are, and how much power we’re willing to hand them.
Give the whole ballot your attention. Then give it back to the clerk.
Preferably before we have to text you. <3
Thank you so much for making the voting process more clear. Every year I try to do research and ultimately burn out because it is so difficult to find information. Didn't know JPEC existed as an example. Anyway, thank you for your help!
I received several emails from Elevate Utah that say I have become a paid subscriber. These appear to be scams. Please investigate this.