Your guide to voting in the US
Voting can be a complicated and often daunting process for many Millennials and Generation Z that have no idea where to begin. With the Iowa and the New Hampshire Democratic Primaries/Caucuses over, it may seem a little late to jump into the political game.
However, there is some good news, especially since there is time before the Utah Presidential Primaries and the big-ticket election in November.
Both of Utah’s Democratic and Republican Primaries take place March 3 or “Super Tuesday,” which is the single-largest day during the primary election season when 14 states hold their primaries simultaneously.
To vote in Utah’s primaries, you must register to vote, which can be easily done online at vote.utah.gov. After you register, you have a few options available. To vote in the Republican Primaries, the Utah Republican Party requires you first affiliate with its party, and can vote in-person during the early-voting period or on Election Day.
On the ballot will be President Donald Trump, former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld and businessman Rocky De La Fuente. Meanwhile for Utah’s Democratic Primaries, you do not need to be affiliated with any party to cast a vote for the democratic nominee.
To vote in the Democratic Primaries, you can also vote in-person during the early-voting period or on Election Day, or you can request a ballot from your county clerk (which can be found at vote.utah.gov) to vote by mail by Feb. 25th.
On the Democratic Primary ballot will be former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg, Representative from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard, Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders, Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren, businessman Andrew Yang among several other minor candidates.
For non-Utah students, the Washington Post has an election calendar to find when your state’s primary or caucus. Just remember to register to vote first, which the process for any state or U.S. territory can be found at usa.gov/register-to-vote and most states have websites which can also tell you how to vote in their primaries or caucuses. Just keep in mind that Kansas, Nevada, South Carolina, Arizona, Alaska, Virginia and Hawaii have all canceled their Republican primaries, meaning that their delegates are either going to be binded to Trump or decided at the national convention.
