This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2004, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Whether a day to mourn or celebrate, Election Day spells the end of the tiresome onslaught of TV and radio ads, campaign pamphlets and punditry this political season.
Utah voters, eager to make their voices heard in high-stakes gubernatorial and presidential races, have registered in significantly greater numbers than four years ago -- up 155,000 from 1.1 million in 2000. Many also are taking advantage of new rules that allow them to vote early.
But early voting won't translate to early results. To the contrary, county clerks warn there may be no clear winner tonight for the tightest races -- Utah's 2nd Congressional District, Salt Lake County mayor and some state legislative seats -- saying extra time may be necessary to verify results because of a projected large turnout and use of provisional ballots.
"Provisionals will be huge. There's absolutely no way they can be counted on Election Day," said State Elections Director Amy Naccaratto, referring to 20,000 to 25,000 ballots expected from eligible voters who experience problems with their registration.
Before the 2000 presidential election debacle, these voters would have been turned away at the polls. Now they must be allowed to vote, though their ballots are sealed in special envelopes that by law can't be counted until counties canvass the vote seven to 14 days after the election.
Those provisional ballots could swing the outcome of hotly contested races, such as Republican John Swallow's second consecutive bid to unseat Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson in the 2nd Congressional District.
In 2002, Swallow's last losing attempt, 10,706 provisional ballots were cast in Utah. Despite a 1,641-vote margin, provisionals, when counted, didn't alter the results. But that could change this year.
Provisional ballots were meant to streamline the elections process, but have made life harder for county clerks, as has another policy implemented as part of the Help America Vote Act of 2002: "no-excuse absentee" ballots that allow people to vote early.
County election offices statewide were flooded with early voters Monday and over the weekend. Some had competing obligations today. Others, like Dennette Nobles from West Jordan, are just eager to make their voices heard.
"I'm not feeling well today and I'm afraid I won't be able to do it tomorrow," said Nobles, who was among the 20 to 30 people standing in five-minute lines Monday at the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office. "It's more important this year. The issues, and the amendments and the whole thing. "
Today, Utahns will help vote for a president, and send three U.S. representatives and one U.S. senator to Washington. Also up for grabs are all of Utah's five state executive-branch posts, including governor and attorney general, and about three-fourths of the state's 104 lawmakers.
There are county and school board races in each of Utah's 29 counties. Taxpayers will get to weigh in on several financial issues, including whether to borrow money to purchase open space and other critical lands, and in Salt Lake County whether to renew the measure that funds the arts, parks and the zoo. A constitutional ban on gay marriage is up for a statewide vote, while Davis County voters have another fluoridation decision before them.
Pat Beckstead, Davis County elections coordinator, greeted the crush of new voters as a sign that people finally realize their votes count. "The phones have not stopped. We've had a line out the door. We're loving it -- it's great," said Beckstead.
Counties anticipate verifying and tallying the bulk of their absentees by night's end.
But unique circumstances in Salt Lake County surrounding the on-again, off-again status of Mayor Nancy Workman's Republican ballot replacement Ellis Ivory promise to complicate vote counting efforts.
Because Ivory wasn't permanently placed on the ballot until Oct. 27, any of the 16,292 absentee ballots printed prior and returned as straight GOP tickets won't be credited to Ivory. Ballots bearing Ivory as a write-in candidate will be counted.
"I don't know what else we can do. We can't give him votes unless he's a candidate on the ballot," said Chief Deputy Clerk Jason Yocom.
Yocom said as of Monday, 12,986 absentee ballots had been returned by mail or in person. Assuming that 19 percent vote a straight Republican ticket, as county voters did in 2002, that could mean 2,467 missed votes for Ivory.
Republican Party officials may sue to have those votes counted. "It's dependent on the outcome of the race. If the outcome isn't very close, there may not really be a need to count those votes," said State Republican Party Executive Director Spencer Jenkins. "In the event the vote is close, on either side, there's a possibility of a legal challenge."
State Democratic Party Chairman Donald Dunn said, "We're more interested in ensuring every vote is counted than making sure they're counted quickly."
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Reporters Nicole Warburton and Wendy Leonard contributed to this article.
More voter tips
* Report problems: If you observe election fraud or voting-rights abuses, call the U.S. Attorney's Office at 801-325-3257 or 801-325-3206. Or you can call the FBI at 801-579-1400. For complaints about ballot-access problems or discrimination, call the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division Voting Section at 800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767. You may also call your county clerk's office or the State Elections Office at 801-538-1041 or 800-995-VOTE.
* Ask for help: If you need assistance, ask a poll worker for help.
Sources: U.S. attorney's office, Utah Elections Office, Salt Lake County Clerk's Office.