Weber County Clerk/Auditor Ricky Hatch told the Standard-Examiner on Friday that ballots will begin hitting mailboxes on Wednesday and should be fully delivered to Weber County addresses by July 28.

However, he said there will be an addition to ballots this time around.

“The biggest change is how the back of the envelope looks,” he said. “Weber County chose to early implement portions of House Bill 300. Right below the signature line is an area where voters can write the last four digits of their Utah Driver License number, their Utah State ID or their Social Security Number.”

Hatch said that, for now, the information is optional, but it will become mandatory in 2029.

As for turnout, he’s expecting a little higher-than-average primary election turnout in the county, especially given this will be Ogden Valley’s first major election as an organized city.

“Predicting turnout is always kind of a crap shoot because every election has its own unique situations that impact turnout,” he said. “We anticipate turnout to be 34%. This is a little higher than we normally experience in a municipal primary. This slightly higher turnout will likely be driven by races in the new Ogden Valley City, Roy, North Ogden and Pleasant View.”

In the realm of unique situations, Hatch noted that a couple municipalities’ primary elections may be enough to cancel their general elections.

“Eleven of our 16 municipalities will have a primary election,” he said. “This is pretty much in line with prior years. If South Ogden or Washington Terrace does not get a write-in candidate, they could cancel their election, because the number of candidates is the same as the number of positions up for election.”

He said that whatever the results may be, Weber County officials will deliver a smooth and transparent process.

“Whether it’s a presidential election or a municipal primary, we treat every ballot with the same intense level of care, control and transparency,” he said. “Local elections impact our lives more than any other elections, and because so many people choose not to vote, your vote represents a much higher number of people.”

Several important election dates will also be coming up, including:

• Citizens must be registered by Aug. 1 to receive a ballot by mail.
• Early voting is Aug. 5-8 from noon-6 p.m. each day at the Weber Center.
• Primary Election Day is Aug. 12 from 7 a.m.-8 p.m., with in-person voting at the Weber Center and Ogden Valley Branch Library.
• Ballots must be received by the Weber County Election Office by 8 p.m. on Aug. 12.

For more information, visit https://www.weberelections.gov/.