Utah News Dispatch
Fun fact: In some cases, 17-year-olds can vote in Utah primaries
Nadia Ammar, 28, casts her ballot at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Did you know that in Utah, some 17-year-olds can vote in Utah’s primary elections before they officially turn 18?
It depends, however, on their birth dates.
Under Utah law, 17-year-olds can vote in a regular primary election, a municipal primary election or a presidential primary election if they turn 18 “on or before the day of the general election that immediately follows” the primary.
In other words, if that teen turns 18 before the November general election, he or she can vote in the primary that same year.
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It’s a quirky, little-known fact that Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman said Utahns are often surprised to learn.
“That’s one of my favorite things to talk about when I’m giving tours to some of our newer voters, or pre-registered voters,” Chapman said Monday, the day before Utah’s primary Election Day.
She said she recently spoke to a youth group, and “they were pretty excited to hear that they might have that opportunity to participate in elections, even before they become legally an adult,” she said.
Eligible 17-year-old Utahns who are already preregistered to vote are qualified to receive a by-mail ballot ahead of both the primary and the November general election. However, if a young voter isn’t already pre-registered, they can still vote in the primary Tuesday if they go to a vote center to cast their ballot in person.
That is, “so long as they will turn 18 by the general election” this year, Chapman said.
Young Utahns — those who are at least 16 years old — can pre-register to vote at vote.utah.gov.
