Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly 400,000 Utahns had already cast ballots as of Monday morning, according to Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson.
The vast majority of the 381,440 ballots that have been processed so far were returned by mail, while just over 2,500 ballots were cast at in-person early polling places. Nearly 1.5 million Utahns voted in the 2020 election and there were nearly 1.8 million active registered voters in the state as of Oct. 21.
Henderson spoke at Utah Valley University Monday and urged Utahns to unite following Election Day, which is just eight days away — on Nov. 5.
"We will have an election next week that about half the country won't like the outcome of," she said of the presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. "But we have to understand, as Americans, as Utahns, we've got to come together. We have to be able to live with each other no matter what those results are."
Statewide voter turnout sits at 21.3%, as of 7:32 a.m. Monday, according to Henderson, but several counties have much lower or higher turnout compared to the statewide average. This is due, in part, to differences in ballot processing schedules, several county clerks told KSL.com.
🚨ELECTION UPDATE🚨
— Deidre Henderson (@DeidreHenderson) October 28, 2024
🎃Monday, Oct. 28🎃
Total ballots cast: 381,440
✅ Total percent: 21.3%
✅ By mail: 378,937
✅ In person: 2,503
Track your ballot, find in person locations, or view the Voter Information Pamphlet at https://t.co/OW8dacxXn1. 🗳️🇺🇸#Election2024#utpolpic.twitter.com/ABKUODucjw
"It's not the number of ballots we've received back," said Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor Joey Granger, referring to the county's 0% turnout rate.
Granger estimates the county has received about 6,500 ballots but said election workers in the county weren't scheduled to begin verifying the signatures on mail-in ballots until Monday afternoon.
"It's just the way that we process," she said. "We do wait a little bit because we like to have our people here — instead of sporadically, we have them start so that we can get going all at once and go through it."
Beaver County, which has only a 1.7% turnout so far, is in a similar situation, according to Clerk-Auditor Ginger McMullin. She said the county relies on full-time county employees to process votes, and the relative size of the county makes multiple weeks of processing unnecessary.
"It doesn't make any sense to start them until it gets closer to Election Day," she said. "We don't have as many voters, and so it's just too many days to get all that in and have all the equipment set up for staff."
Garfield County, on the other hand, is at the high end of turnout for the state, with 36% of registered voters having turned in their ballot. County Auditor/Clerk Camille Moore ascribes the high turnout in part to excitement about the presidential election but said the county has a history of voters showing up early.
"I feel like our citizens ... they want to participate," Moore said. "Historically, we have a lot of early votes and we have high numbers, especially in a presidential election year. I anticipate we'll be in the high 80s (in terms of turnout) before we're finished."
Mail-in ballots have been sent to all active registered voters in the state. Mailed ballots must be postmarked the day before Election Day to count. In-person voting locations or ballot drop boxes can be found on your local county clerk's website, or at vote.utah.gov.
Contributing: Logan Stefanich
