Voters can cast ballots — starting Tuesday

The fourth Tuesday of October may seem a lot like the first Tuesday of November for some voters.

Beginning Tuesday and lasting through Nov. 3, voters will be able to cast ballots during a new early voting period in every county clerk office around the state. Additionally, eight counties will have satellite locations in libraries and recreation centers, and some will even offer Saturday voting.

This will be the first general election in which early voting is permitted. During the primary elections in June, about 1 percent of the approximately 125,000 people who voted did so early.

Until this year, voters could cast absentee ballots up to a month before Election Day, a process that is still permitted today. Doing so, however, requires a voter to fill out a one-page absentee application, which is not required for those who vote during the early voting period.

Because of early voting, there are some other changes to election laws. For instance, people not registered to vote must do so by Monday, which is earlier than in previous years.

The purpose of early voting is twofold, said Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who oversees elections in Utah. For one, officials hope it will boost turnout by ensuring that anyone who wants to vote has ample opportunity. Second, it will also allow the state to use fewer electronic voting machines, which can cost thousands of dollars.

"There's no federal money for more machines, and they would be expensive to replace on our own," he said. "So we decided that we would use more days instead of more machines, which will save the state money."

In some states where early voting has been used for years, turnout before Election Day is almost equal to that on the official Election Day. While Herbert does not expect that to happen in Utah, he does expect it to become increasingly popular as voters become used to it.

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen hopes to see as much as a 15 percent turnout for early voting. It's especially important for the people who would normally vote around their work schedules — which is why the county is offering evening voting in many locations — because that tends to be the time when lines form on Election Day.

"We're hoping to appeal to the group that would normally vote during our busiest times," she said. "It's much more convenient to spread them out."

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