Parties push get-out-vote efforts in Utah

You may soon be getting an absentee ballot application in the mail — but you don't have to apply for an absentee ballot. Even if you do, you don't have to use it if you change your mind and decide to later vote in person.

Both the state Republican and Democratic parties are sending out thousands of absentee ballot applications to Utahns they have identified as interested in voting for their candidates, sources told the newspaper.

While the party-sponsored, voter identification/voter turnout efforts are not new to 2008, they have become "much more sophisticated," said Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party.

What the political parties are sending to your house is not the ballot itself. Only your county elections officer can mail you a ballot. It is an application that you fill out, if you want, and send in to your county clerk to get the official ballot mailed to you at a later date.

Absentee ballots won't be mailed from the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office, for example, to individuals requesting them until Oct. 6.

James Evans, Salt Lake County GOP chairman, said the Republicans are getting their early voting lists from various sources, including tips from candidates who are walking their districts, finding likely GOP voters, and from various "data mining" operations.

Taylor said the Internet, automatic telephone polling and several other high-tech operations have changed the way political parties and other groups handle their turn-out-the-vote efforts.

"It has become a monthlong operation" through October before the early-November election, he said. That's because nearly a decade ago, state officials decided to let Utahns vote early in person at designated polling places, vote a no-excuse absentee ballot, and let anyone send out absentee ballot applications.

In Salt Lake County in 2006, 7,200 residents voted absentee and 27,000 people voted early in person, out of the 227,000 ballots cast, said Jason Yocom, county chief deputy clerk.

Taylor said the absentee ballot program by his party is not an effort to get to voters early so they can't change their minds closer to Election Day — and either decide not to vote or to vote for someone other than the Democrat.

"Historically, you use your early-voting efforts on those who have already made up their minds" — core Democrats or core Republicans. "You want to help make sure that they participate in the election."