Utah mail-in ballots without postage will still be delivered, USPS says
Six counties ask voters to pay return postage this year, while Cache, Grand and Salt Lake counties prepay it.
Based on reporting by The Salt Lake Tribune. Read the original story →
Mail-in ballots dropped in the mail without a stamp will still be delivered in Utah, a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson told The Salt Lake Tribune, even in counties that ask voters to pay postage. The Postal Service said it delivers such ballots and then tries to collect the postage from the election board. [1]
Voters in Iron, Millard, Rich, Utah, Washington and Weber counties should pay postage this year, the Tribune reported, while postage is prepaid in Cache, Grand and Salt Lake counties. The Lt. Governor's office said it does not keep a current list of which counties require stamps. A 2023 legislative fiscal note said 23 of 29 counties required postage at that time. [1]
Weber County Clerk/Auditor Ricky Hatch said his office will process ballots with or without postage. Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson said unstamped ballots will also be processed but that the Postal Service does not guarantee timely delivery. He said one ballot took 18 days and another 20 days to arrive in the June primary, and urged voters to use in-person voting or county drop boxes. [1]
Davidson said postage cost was a "substantial amount" in 2024. A 2023 state estimate put the cost of paying postage for all voters in every county at about $723,000. [1]
Sources
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