Local voters who show up at the polls on June 24 will be in for a surprise. Both Grand and San Juan counties are switching to a vote-by-mail process this year, so primary and general election voters will no longer be able to cast their ballots in person. Anyone who is currently registered to vote should keep an eye out for official-looking letters from the counties, since those notifications will include important information about the vote-by-mail process. Grand County will be asking active voters to return signature verification cards. At the same time, it will also be mailing out separate notices to inactive voters who have not participated in the last two elections, according to Grand County Clerk Diana Carroll. Those who have not voted in the past two elections will be required to renew their voter registrations, according to information from the clerk’s office. Local residents can verify their voter information online at www.vote.utah.gov or by calling the Grand County Clerk’s Office.
Ballots will be mailed to all active registered voters 28 days prior to the primary and general elections, and completed ballots must be postmarked no later than the day before the election, Carroll said. That means that for the Nov. 4 general election, all completed ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3. Ballots that are not received by the clerk’s office prior to Nov. 4 will be counted in the final vote canvass, which must be completed seven to 14 days following the election.
The city of Moab, which holds its municipal elections in odd-numbered years, has no plans at this point to follow Grand County’s lead, according to Moab City Recorder Rachel Stenta.
“Right now, it’s not an idea that we’re exploring,” she said April 23.
However, city officials will be keeping track of the county’s experiences to see how everything goes, Stenta said.
Full Article: Moab Times-Independent – County switches to vote by mail system for all elections.