Utah state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9 (mail), or Oct. 30 (online or in-person)
- Early voting: Oct. 23 - Nov. 2
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
| 2018 Utah State Legislature elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | November 6, 2018 |
| Primary | June 26, 2018 |
| 2018 elections | |
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| Choose a chamber below: | |
The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the Utah State Senate and the Utah House of Representatives were on June 26, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in Utah, click here.
The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2018. In the state Senate, 14 of 29 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 75 seats were up for election.
Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
Retiring incumbents
One Democratic state Senate incumbent did not file for re-election.
- Jim Dabakis (District 2)
Two Democratic state House incumbents did not file for re-election.
- Rebecca Chavez-Houck (District 24)
- Lynn Hemingway (District 40)
Incumbents defeated
No incumbents were defeated in 2018.
Competitiveness
Twenty-four seats did not have incumbents file for re-election in 2018. This was double the amount of open seats in 2016 (11) and 2014 (12). The number of contested Democratic primaries decreased to 12 from 13 in 2016. The number of contested Republican primaries increased from 36 to 37 compared to 2016.
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Total candidates | Democratic primaries contested | Republican primaries contested | Total contested | Incumbents contested in primaries | Total incumbents contested in primaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 90 | 24 | 243 | 12 | 37 | 27.2% | 17 | 25.0% |
| 2016 | 90 | 11 | 225 | 13 | 36 | 27.2% | 23 | 29.1% |
| 2014 | 89 | 12 | 202 | 8 | 31 | 21.9% | 19 | 24.7% |
Partisan control
The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Utah House of Representatives and Utah State Senate as of March 2025:
Utah House of Representatives
| Party | As of June 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 13 | |
| Republican Party | 62 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | |
Utah State Senate
| Party | As of June 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 24 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | |
Battleground races
Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Utah state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.
To determine the Utah state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:
- Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
- One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
- The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.
Media coverage
This section provides an overview of media reactions to the Utah state legislative Democratic primaries.[1] Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the elections.
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Utah, state law allows parties to decide who may vote in their primaries.[2] Check Vote.Utah.gov for details about upcoming elections.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
Utah is an all-mail voting state that offers vote centers for voters that choose to vote in person. All vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Utah voters are able to vote in person at any vote center. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Utah, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Utah for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the next general election. Pre-registration is available for 16- and 17-year-olds. 17-year-olds may vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the general election.[4] Registration can be completed online or by mailing in a form. The deadline to register online or by mail is 11 days before Election Day. After this deadline, voters may register in person at a vote center by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.[5][4][6]
Automatic registration
Utah does not practice automatic voter registration.[7]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Utah has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.[7]
Same-day registration
In 2018, Utah enacted same-day voter registration; voters may register on Election Day and during the ten days prior by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.[5][8]
Residency requirements
Prospective voters must be residents of the state for at least 30 days before the election.[5]
Verification of citizenship
Utah does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a person who commits fraudulent registration is "guilty of a class A misdemeanor" under Utah Code 20A-2-401.[9]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[10] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The Utah lieutenant governor’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirements
Utah requires in-person voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[11]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Utah State Legislature's statute defining accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
| “ |
"Valid voter identification" means:
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” |
Early voting
Utah permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
Utah conducts what are commonly referred to as all-mail elections. In Utah, voting is conducted primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, by mail. Election officials automatically distribute mail-in ballots to eligible electors.
See also
- Utah state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
- Utah House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Utah State Senate elections, 2018
- Utah State Legislature
- Utah elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ In selecting articles for inclusion in this section, Ballotpedia has drawn from a variety of sources and viewpoints to identify articles that are representative of broader trends in media coverage.
- ↑ Utah State Legislature, "Utah Code § 20A-9-403," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ Salt Lake County Clerk, “Election Day Vote Centers,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Utah Lieutenant Governor: Elections, “State of Utah Voter Registration Form,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Utah Lieutenant Governor, “Learn how to register to vote,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Vote.Utah.gov, "State of Utah Voter Registration Form," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 14, 2024
- ↑ Utah State Legislature, “Section 207 Registration by provisional ballot,” accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Vote.Utah.gov, "State of Utah Voter Registration Form," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Justia, "Utah §20A-1-102(2022)," accessed April 24, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
