ST. GEORGE — Election Day is fast approaching with mail-in ballots being sent out this week. At the federal level, four congressional seats and one senate seat are up for grabs, while at the state and local levels a heap of legislative, county commission and school board races will be decided.
What follows is information for voters focused on mail-in ballots, in-person voting locations and a guide to articles covering who is running in the 2022 election for the state and county offices impacting Iron and Washington counties.
On the national stage, the midterm elections could see a shift in power in Congress between political parties.
While decisions made in Washington, D.C., trickle down to the state and local level, it is often the state and local-level officials who have a greater impact on the people who vote for them.
Dates to know
- Mail-in ballots begin arriving the week of Oct. 18.
- The last day to register to vote is Oct. 28 by 5 p.m. You can register online through the Lt. Governor’s website.
- Nov. 1 is the last day you can request a mail-in ballot if one hasn’t been received otherwise.
- Early voting in Iron and Washington counties takes place Nov. 1-4. Locations are listed under voting center locations.
- Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on by Nov. 7 or will not be counted.
- Election Day is Nov. 8.
Mail-in ballots
Mail-in voting has become increasingly popular in Utah over the last decade as it is considered more convenient for voters and results in more participation than in-person voting. Washington County shifted to mail-in ballots in 2018 and has seen increased voter turnout since. However, the county continues to maintain in-person voting locations as directed by state law.
Despite the popularity of mail-in voting, some Washington County residents are leery of the process due to concerns over election integrity and the machines used to count and audit the votes. They have since called for a general return to in-person voting.
Among the current proponents for doing away with mail-in voting is Washington County Clerk/Auditor write-in candidate Patricia Kent.
How counties check the authenticity of mail-in ballots
Double-checking signatures
Once a ballot is received by the county through the mail or collected from one of its many drop boxes, they are put into batches of 50 and run through machines that match the signatures on them to ones on file, Washington County Clerk/Auditor Susan Lewis previously told St. George New. These signatures are also reviewed by two people before being accepted or rejected.
If a signature doesn’t match, the County Clerk’s Office will attempt to contact the voter through various means in order to provide an opportunity for them to “cure,” or fix, their vote so it can be counted.
Active voters and voting roll purges
In Washington County, mail-in ballots are only mailed to registered, active voters (those who have voted in the last few elections). If a person is not considered an active voter due to lack of activity, they stand to have their name removed from the county’s voter rolls.
This inactivity may be due to moving out of the area or death or another reason. A way the Clerk/Auditor’s Office attempts to keep up with this is by reviewing obituaries on a regular basis while also reviewing changes of address in the county.
People who have died or moved away and have not had their information updated are subsequently purged from the voter rolls.
Audits for accuracy
In addition to the signature validation process, Lewis said the county also audits election results leading up to and after the election.
Prior to votes coming in, the Clerk’s Office will test its process with a run of 300-500 ballots with a predetermined outcome. These audits have thus far shown the county’s equipment and process to be working as intended.
“We test everything,” she said. “We feel very comfortable that they are working right.”
The Lt. Governor’s Office witnessed a post-election audit in Washington County following the Republican primaries in late July. It was witnessed, reviewed and considered accurate.
The accuracy of Washington County’s election auditing process has been challenged by individuals who question the results of the House 72 legislative race.
While the Washington County Clerk/Auditor’s Office and Washington County Commission say claims of election fraud in the House 72 race were based on a misinterpretation of the results, the commission sent a letter to the Lt. Governor’s Office and Utah Legislature requesting ways to increase election transparency while also “tightening up” the election process.
Reasons a ballot may not be counted
During the recent Republican primary election, Lewis noted that 700 ballots out of nearly 35,000 collected were unable to be counted for various reasons.
“It happens every election,” Lewis said. “The biggest number (of ballots) we see not get counted is because they get sent in late.”
Approximately 713 ballots were unable to be counted due to arriving in the mail on Election Day or shortly thereafter. Utah law requires a mail-in ballot to be postmarked the day before the election in order to be valid.
The closer Election Day comes, the more Lewis recommends putting the ballot into a drop box rather than the mailbox.
Another reason is people forging the names of family members on their ballots, Lewis said. This can be a husband or wife putting their spouse’s name on their ballot or a parent writing in the name of a child who is out of town for school or a religious mission.
Washington County – Drop box locations
County drop boxes (top row) are open 24/7. However, ballots will not be accepted after 8 p.m. on Nov. 8. Municipal ballot boxes (rows 2-4) are open during regular business hours. No ballots will be accepted after normal business hours, excluding holidays.
| Hurricane City Branch Library 36 S 300 West, Hurricane |
Santa Clara Branch Library 1099 Lava Flow Drive, St George |
St. George City Branch Library 88 W 100 South, St George |
Washington City Branch Library 220 N 300 East, Washington City |
Washington County Administration Building 197 E Tabernacle St., St. George |
| Town of Apple Valley 1777 N Meadowlark Drive Apple Valley Open Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (excluding lunch hours of noon – 1 p.m.) |
Enterprise 375 S 200 East Enterprise Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding lunch hours of noon to 1 p.m.) |
Hildale Library 440 E Newel Ave., Hildale Open Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Ivins 85 N Main St. Ivins Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
La Verkin 435 N Main St., La Verkin Open Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Town of Leeds 218 N Main St., Leeds, Open Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
New Harmony Library 34 S 2900 East, New Harmony Open Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Town of Rockville 43 E Main St., Rockville Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Santa Clara 2603 Santa Clara Drive, Santa Clara Open Monday – Thursday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Town of Springdale 118 Lion Blvd, Springdale Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Toquerville 212 N Toquerville Blvd, Toquerville Open Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Town of Virgin 114 S Mill St., Virgin Open Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
Washington County – Voting center locations
Voting centers in Washington County provide in-person voting locations, and will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m on Election Day. Early voting dates are included below.
| Dixie Convention Center 1835 Convention Center Drive, St George Early voting: Nov. 1-2: 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 3-4: noon to 4 p.m. |
Hurricane Community Center 63 S 100 West, Hurricane Early voting: Nov. 1-2: noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 3-4: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m |
A form of state-recognized identification is required to be able to vote. This can typically be a driver’s license or a state-issued ID. A list of other forms of ID and documentation acceptable at the polls can be found here.
Iron County – Drop box locations
Dropbox locations in Iron county are available during regular business hours between Oct. 18 and Nov. 8.
| Cedar City Offices 10 N. Main St., Cedar City |
Iron County Courthouse 68 S. 100 East, Parowan |
Enoch City Offices 900 E. Midvalley Road, Enoch |
Paragonah Town Hall 44 N. 100 East, Paragonah |
| Kanarraville Town Hall 40 S. Main St., Kanarraville |
Parowan City Office 35 E. 100 North, Parowan |
Brian Head Town Hall 56 N. Highway 143, Brian Head |
Dixie Power 71 E. Highway 56, Beryl |
Iron County – Voting center locations
Voting centers in Iron County provide in-person voting locations and will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting dates are included below.
| Iron County Courthouse 68 S. 100 East, Parowan Early voting: Nov 1-4: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
Enoch City Offices 900 E. Midvalley Road, Enoch |
Cedar City Office 10 N. Main, Cedar City |
St. George News election articles
Washington County Commission
- Seat A: Washington County Commission incumbent has ‘unfinished business’ while challenger offers ‘expertise’
- Seat B: Iverson seeks to continue defending freedoms; Goode touts self-reliance, sustainability through tech
- Seat C: Washington County Commission Seat C: Snow touts his connections while Winsor seeks to look past divisions
Washington County Clerk/Auditor
Washington County Attorney
Washington County School Board
Iron County School Board
- District 4: Incumbent Dale Brinkerhoff facing challenge from Stephanie Hill in Iron County school board District 4
- District 5: Christiansen, Davis vying for school board seat in Iron County’s District 5
Garfield County Sheriff
Utah House
- House 71: Incumbent Rex Shipp faces 2 challengers to represent Utah House District 71
- House 72: Utah House District 72 candidates have much in common, but different perspectives on issues
Utah Senate
State School Board
U.S. Senate
- At campaign rally, Mike Lee receives hearty endorsement from Ted Cruz
- Senate candidate Evan McMullin hopes to unite people, solve problems that ‘threaten our future’
- New polling shows Mike Lee vs. Evan McMullin race is a dead heat
- ‘Star Wars’ actor Mark Hamill tries to be a force for Evan McMullin in U.S. Senate race
- Libertarian Jimmy Hansen just hopes his voice gets heard in Utah’s loud Senate race
U.S House of Representatives
- Rep. Stewart touts conservative record, service to state, district in bid for reelection
- Democratic representative Nicholas Mitchell seeks 2nd Congressional District chair in House
- United Utah candidate Jay Mcfarland hopes to gain momentum in race for U.S. House of Representatives
- Constitution candidate Cassie Easley seeks U.S. House of Representatives seat from District 2
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