Gephardt: How To Make Sure You Receive Your Mail-In Ballot
Oct 13, 2020, 6:24 PM | Updated: 8:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Voting in Utah has begun as many registered voters eagerly wait for their mail-in ballots to arrive. However, the KSL Investigators have found a loophole that could mean your ballot won’t be sent to your mailbox.
Here’s how you can close that loophole.
For several years now, ballots have been sent in the mail to most Utahns who are registered to vote. Most, but not all.
Lannie Chapman, chief deputy clerk at the Salt Lake County Recorder’s Office, said her office only sends out ballots to folks who have voted recently.
“We have to make sure that we have people that are active voters,” Chapman explained. “You’ll become inactive if you have not voted in the last two general primaries, which is every four years.”
That’s right, if you haven’t voted since 2015 you likely will not get a mail-in ballot thanks to state and federal laws aimed at making sure ballots are not sent to people who have moved. Chapman said nobody should be surprised if they’ve been declared inactive.
“Before that happens, we’ll send you a letter in the mail saying, ‘Do you still live here? Is this still you, is all this information, correct?’ — paid postage card and you return it and then you stay active. If you don’t return it, that’s a good indication that you’re probably not living there anymore,” she said.
Salt Lake County Chief Deputy Clerk Lannie Chapman. (KSL-TV)
The KSL Investigators checked the Utah voter rolls, which indicate whether folks here are engaged in the upcoming election. Back in 2018, 15% of registered voters were considered inactive. Currently, that number is down to 10%.
State records show there are now 200,000 new voters on the active roles than there were two years ago.
An inactive voter is still on the voter rolls and can vote if they show up at the polls. They just won’t automatically be sent a mail-in ballot. Don’t fret if you’re on the inactive list: it’s easy to update on vote.utah.gov or with a call to your county clerk’s office.
“They can do that until October 23 and we will make sure that they get a ballot in the mail,” said Chapman.
Another important note: the U.S. Postal Service will not forward mail-in ballots.
If you do vote by mail, it’s important that the signature on your affidavit (ballot) matches the signature the state has on file for you, likely your driver license. More: https://t.co/YjIADTdbfA
— Matt Gephardt KSL (@KslMatt) October 13, 2020
