Ballot drop boxes fill early as Salt Lake County voters make final Election Day push

SALT LAKE CITY — A surge of last-minute voters filled some ballot drop boxes across Salt Lake County by mid-morning on Election Day, keeping election workers busy as they collected and processed ballots ahead of the deadline.

Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman said election officials have been monitoring and emptying ballot drop boxes daily, but many voters waited until the final 24 hours before Election Day to return their ballots — and some reached capacity.

"We've been emptying our drop boxes daily," Chapman said. "A lot of people waited until 24 hours before Election Day to process their ballots. But we've collected all those ballots, made sure that we have them and we're going out routinely today again to ensure that those drop boxes are available for voters."

The county deployed collection teams throughout Election Day to empty ballot boxes and make sure voters could continue using them as the deadline approached.

Once ballots are collected, election workers begin a verification process before they can be counted. Officials review voter information, including signatures and identifying information tied to voter registration records, to ensure ballots are valid.

At several drop box locations, voters said participating in the election was worth the effort, even if a single vote may seem insignificant.

"My vote may not change a whole lot, but it could," said voter Rylar Masco. "So I'd rather know that I made my vote and it didn't change anything than not make a vote and change something."

His wife, Nicole Masco, said voting has become increasingly important over the years.

"I think just the older I get, the more I realize how important it is to have a say on the people who represent our values and the lives that we live," Nicole Masco said. "So I think it's a no-brainer to get out here and do our civic duty."

County officials encouraged voters who had not yet returned their ballots to use an official drop box or other approved voting options before polls close at 8 p.m. Election workers will continue collecting ballots throughout the day while processing the large volume of ballots submitted during the election's final hours.

Related topics