§ 20A-3a-204 — Marking a manual ballot -- Returning a ballot by mail, at an election officer's office, or via a ballot drop box -- Depositing a ballot received by mail at a polling place.

(1) To vote a manual ballot:
(1)(a) except as provided in Subsection (7), the voter shall prepare the voter's manual ballot by marking the appropriate space with a mark opposite the name of each candidate of the voter's choice for each office to be filled;
(1)(b) if a ballot proposition is submitted to a vote of the people, the voter shall mark the appropriate space with a mark opposite the answer the voter intends to make;
(1)(c) except as provided in Subsection (7), the voter shall record a write-in vote in accordance with Subsection 20A-3a-206(1); and
(1)(d) except as provided in Subsection (7), a mark is not required opposite the name of a write-in candidate.
(2) Before returning a ballot mailed to the voter, the voter shall:
(2)(a) complete and sign the affidavit on the return envelope;
(2)(b) enter the last four digits of the voter's Utah driver license or Utah state identification card;
(2)(c) beginning on January 1, 2029, if the voter does not have a Utah driver license or Utah state identification card:
(2)(c)(i) write the last four digits of the voter's social security card on the return envelope; or
(2)(c)(ii) include in the return envelope a photocopy of one of the following forms of identification for the voter:
(2)(c)(ii)(A) a currently valid identification card issued by the state, or a branch, department, or agency of the United States;
(2)(c)(ii)(B) a currently valid Utah permit to carry a concealed weapon;
(2)(c)(ii)(C) a currently valid United States passport;
(2)(c)(ii)(D) a currently valid United States military identification card; or
(2)(c)(ii)(E) a valid tribal identification card, Bureau of Indian Affairs card, or tribal treaty card;
(2)(d) place the voted ballot in the return envelope;
(2)(e) if required by the election officer because the voter has not yet provided valid voter identification with the voter's voter registration record, include a copy of the voter's valid voter identification with the ballot inside the return envelope;
(2)(f) securely seal the return envelope; and
(2)(g) if returning the ballot by mail, attach postage, if necessary, and deposit the return envelope in the mail.
(3) (3)(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 20A-16-404, to be valid, a ballot that is mailed must be received by the election officer on or before 8 p.m. on election day.
(3)(b) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(c), to be valid, a ballot returned by a method other than by mail shall, before 8 p.m. on election day, be:
(3)(b)(i) deposited in a ballot box at a polling place;
(3)(b)(ii) deposited in a ballot drop box designated by an election officer for the jurisdiction to which the ballot relates; or
(3)(b)(iii) otherwise received by the election officer.
(3)(c) An election officer may, but is not required to, forward a ballot deposited in a ballot drop box in the wrong jurisdiction to the correct jurisdiction.
(3)(d) An election officer shall ensure that a voter who is, at or before 8 p.m. on election day:
(3)(d)(i) in line at a ballot drop box, with a sealed return envelope containing a ballot in the voter's possession, is allowed to deposit the ballot in the ballot drop box; or
(3)(d)(ii) in line at a polling place, is allowed to vote.
(4) (4)(a) Except as provided in Subsection (6), to vote at a polling place the voter shall, after complying with Subsections (1)(a) through (d):
(4)(a)(i) sign the official register or pollbook; and
(4)(a)(ii) place the ballot in the ballot box; or
(4)(b) If the ballot that a voter votes at a polling place is a provisional ballot, the voter shall place the ballot in the provisional ballot envelope, complete the information printed on the provisional ballot envelope, and deposit the provisional ballot envelope in the provisional ballot box.
(5) (5)(a) An individual with a disability may vote a mechanical ballot at a polling place.
(5)(b) An individual other than an individual with a disability may vote a mechanical ballot at a polling place if permitted by the election officer.
(6) To vote a mechanical ballot, the voter shall:
(6)(a) make the selections according to the instructions provided for the voting device; and
(6)(b) subject to Subsection (7), record a write-in vote by:
(6)(b)(i) selecting the appropriate position for entering a write-in candidate; and
(6)(b)(ii) using the voting device to enter the name of the valid write-in candidate for whom the voter wishes to vote.
(7) To vote in an instant runoff voting race under Chapter 4, Part 6, Municipal Alternate Voting Methods Pilot Project, a voter:
(7)(a) shall indicate, as directed on the ballot, the name of the candidate who is the voter's first preference for the office; and
(7)(b) may indicate, as directed on the ballot, the names of the remaining candidates in order of the voter's preference.
(8) A voter who votes at a polling place:
(8)(a) shall mark and cast or deposit the ballot without delay and shall leave the voting area after voting; and
(8)(b) may not:
(8)(b)(i) occupy a voting booth occupied by another, except as provided in Section 20A-3a-208;
(8)(b)(ii) remain within the voting area more than 10 minutes; or
(8)(b)(iii) occupy a voting booth for more than five minutes if all booths are in use and other voters are waiting to occupy a voting booth.
(9) If the official register shows any voter as having voted, that voter may not reenter the voting area during that election unless that voter is an election official or watcher.
(10) A poll worker may not, at a polling place, allow more than four voters more than the number of voting booths into the voting area at one time unless those excess voters are:
(10)(a) election officials;
(10)(b) watchers; or
(10)(c) assisting voters with a disability.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 381, 2025 General Session