Salt Lake County has a nearly 447,000 voters registered to vote this year, and officials believe voter turnout might match the record 85 percent turnout of 1992.
The county's record 446,896 voters tops the 1992 rolls by nearly 50,000, said Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said. Four years ago, less than 400,000 were registered to vote in the county.Davis County has 103,500 voters registered this year, a modest increase of 1,955 voters over 1992 rolls.
Salt Lake County's new satellite registration program gets credit for some of the 50,000 new voters. The two-day program allowed voters to register at any of 50 sites for two days this week, prompting 12,000 voters to sign up.
Swensen was stunned by the turnout. "I thought maybe we would get 5,000 or 6,000 voters."
Her staff worked late into the night Wednesday to put the 12,000 additional names onto the rolls, mailing additional voter lists to all election judges Thursday.
In years past, last-minute registrants had to drive to election judges' homes.
Early returns of absentee ballots hint at a heavy voter turnout, she said.
By Friday morning, the county had received 10,222 absentee ballots, with hundreds more arriving in the mail Friday. The county also expects more ballots Saturday and Monday. Swensen expected the total to equal or exceed the 12,000 absentee ballots received just before the 1992 election. That year, 85 percent of the registered voters went to the polls.
"I think we'll be pretty close to that," Swensen said. "Of course, as the number of registered voters increase, that kind of percentage is harder to obtain. But I do think we will see an 80 percent turnout."
Davis County had an 83 percent turnout in the 1992 election.