Swensen says Utah law changes have made it a bit more difficult to register in recent years. She said the Legislature eliminated "satellite registration" that had been available in neighborhoods for a couple of days about a week before an election. It also moved what had been a deadline for by-mail registration back from 20 days to 30 days before an election. Voters can register in person up to 15 days before an election, but now must go to a county clerk's office to do so.

"I personally would like to see election-day registration" at the polls with proof of residency, as is available in many states, she said. "A lot of people just don't think about elections 30 days in advance (when mail deadlines hit), so later registration would help." She adds that bills proposing same-day registration have not gone far in the Legislature.

Census data show little difference in voting rates among different racial groups or genders in Utah — all are low.

It said 36.8 percent of Utah adult women reported voting, essentially the same as the 36.6 percent of males who said they did. It said 38.5 percent of Utah whites reported voting, as did 29.8 percent of Hispanic citizens. Sampling rates for other minorities were too low to be considered statistically reliable.

Data breakouts for other Utah groups were not available in data released this week. But data for all Americans show some interesting trends nationally.

For example, older Americans tend to vote more than young adults. Those who are married tend to vote more than those who are not. And those with higher incomes tend to vote more.

The Census found that among nonvoters nationally, 27 percent said they skipped voting because they were too busy or had conflicting work or school schedules. About 12 percent said were not interested or did not think their vote would make a difference. Another 12 percent said they were ill. And 11 percent said they were out of town.

Other reported reasons for not voting included dislike of the candidates or issues, 7 percent; forgetting to vote, 6 percent; confusion over registration procedures, 4 percent; and inconvenient polling places, 3 percent.

The Census also asked those who had not registered why they did not. It said 48 percent said they were not interested in the election or were not involved in politics; 14 percent said they missed deadlines; 7 percent said they did not know how to register; 5 percent did not meet residency requirements; and 3 percent said their vote would not make a difference.

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