An estimated 13% of Utahns have already voted in this year’s general election.
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that as of Thursday morning, 231,032 ballots in the state’s largely by-mail election have been returned by mail and 1,106 Utahns had voted in person. Voter turnout in Utah was at 9.4% just a day earlier, and at 6% on Tuesday, the lieutenant governor’s first turnout update for this election.
San Juan County has the highest countywide turnout in the state so far, 28.3%. In Salt Lake County, turnout was at 13.5%, and in Utah County, at 10.5%. Three Utah counties, Daggett, Wasatch and Beaver, have not reported any votes cast yet in the Nov. 5 general election, according to the post.
Ballots were mailed to Utah voters starting on Oct. 15, and in-person early voting began in the state Tuesday.
Utah voters turned out in record numbers for the last presidential election, in 2020. Turnout that year hit 90.09%, surpassing Utah’s previous record of 89.6% in 1964, when then-President Lyndon Johnson became the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state.
This year, millions of voters across the country have already cast their ballots in the contentious and close race between Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican. The Washington Post reports that early voting nationwide as of Wednesday evening represents 16% of the total 2020 turnout.
Utahns can register to vote in-person at the polls on Election Day, but the deadline for signing up by mail or online to vote in the general election is Friday. More information on voter registration as well as where ballots can be dropped off or cast in person is available at vote.utah.gov.