But as federal electronic voting deadlines neared, legislators and county officials realized that to avoid an Election Day meltdown — long lines and very unhappy voters — early voting would be needed.

Against, perhaps, their own political instincts, legislators then approved early voting — the first round to be seen over the next two weeks before the June 27 Utah primary.

To vote early, you need to be a registered voter and show an accurate, valid ID. (There are 16 different forms of identification that are allowable, but most Utahns will use their driver's license.)

Early voting locations can be found by calling your local county clerk or visiting their Web sites.

The Davis County clerk is even going to have some early voting sites open on Saturday, June 17, as a way to make voting easier for county residents.

If it proves popular and cost-effective, more early voting locations may be opened for the November general election, clerks say.

And in years to come, county clerks may try all kinds of innovative voting measures, like early voting vans traveling to different locations in their counties.

You might want to try early voting this year, beat the rush and take your time learning how to operate the new electronic voting machines.

---

Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com