Utah County says voters who got an ID notice by mistake don't need to send ID

Utah County voters who have voted before, or who proved their identity when they registered, do not need to send a copy of their ID with their mail ballot, even if their ballot packet included a notice saying they must. The Utah County Elections Office said the notice went to some voters by mistake and apologized. ^[1][2][3]

The flyer was meant only for first-time voters who registered without giving identification, for example through a third-party signature drive. It reads, "If you do not include ID, your ballot may not be counted." County Clerk Aaron Davidson said 6,144 of the notices went out, and his office found 71 that went to people who had voted before. He did not know how many went to voters who had already shown ID. ^[1][2]

Davidson called it a clerical error and a miscommunication. He said some staff did not mark voters' past participation, and he cited a mixup involving the state driver license database. ^[1][2] Shelly Jackson, the deputy state elections director, said the county had not checked registrations against driver license records, so those voters stayed on the list as needing ID. Based on past elections, she said, most people who got the notice in Utah County likely did not need it. ^[1]

"If they send it in or they don't send it in, we're still gonna count the ballot," Davidson said of voters who got the notice in error. ^[2] Jackson said first-time voters who do need ID and return a ballot without it can fix, or "cure," their ballot after the election by providing identification. ^[1]

The elections office takes questions at 801-851-8683, and voters can follow their ballot through BallotTrax at trackmyballot.utah.gov. ^[3] Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.