ST. GEORGE – When the opportunity to vote comes around, whether it’s for a national or municipal election, one the first questions asked is: “Where do I vote?” Once voters know where to go, some questions that may not arise until someone is actually at the polls are matters related to a voter’s rights.

For example, did you know that you have a right to time off from work so you can vote? Or that you can use alternative forms of identification to vote if you don’t have a driver’s license? Additionally, if you applied for an absentee ballot but didn’t mail it in yet, you can still vote but you must bring the ballot with you to the polls.

These are just a few of the most commonly asked questions. A detailed list of voter rights – including more information on those mentioned above – follows the polling locations for the municipal primaries for St. George and Washington City supplied below.

Other polling locations across Washington County can generally be found on respective municipality websites or at Vote.Utah.gov.

Polling locations – St. George

Six candidates are running for St. George City Council: incumbents Joe Bowcutt and Michele Randall, as well as challengers Marc Stallings, Gregg McArthur, Bryan Thiriot and Greg Aldred.

Read more: VOTE: What St. George City Council candidates want voters to know as they hit the polls

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• St. George districts 1, 2, 35, 36, 37, 38: St. George Parks Building, 390 N. 3050 East.
• St. George districts 3, 5, 6, 7: Washington County Administration Building, 197 E. Tabernacle St.
• St. George districts 4, 8, 10, 11: Senior Citizen’s Center, 245 N. 200 West.
• St. George districts 9, 16, 17: Santa Clara Branch Library, 1099 Lava Flow Drive.
• St. George districts 12, 13: Dixie Sun Elementary School, 1795 W. 1230 North.
• St. George districts 14, 15, 47: Coral Cliffs Elementary School, 2040 W. 2000 North.
• St. George districts 18, 19: Sunset Elementary School, 495 North Westridge Drive.
• St. George districts 20, 21, 31, 32: Dixie Convention Center, 1835 Convention Center Drive.
• St. George districts 33, 34, 42: Dixie Convention Center, 1835 Convention Center Drive.
• St. George districts 22, 23, 24, 48: Tonaquint Intermediate School, 1210 West Curly Hollow.
• St. George districts 25, 26: Bloomington Elementary School, 425 Man O’ War Road.
• St. George districts 27, 28, 29, 30: Child Nutrition Warehouse, 811 Brigham Road.
• St. George districts 39, 41, 46: SunRiver Community Center, 4275 South Country Club Drive.
• St. George districts 40, 45, 49: Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School, 3167 S. 2350 East.
• St. George districts 43: Crimson View Elementary School, 2835 E. 2000 South.
• St. George districts 44: George Washington Academy, 2277 S. 3000 East.

Any changes to the polling location will be posted on the city’s website.

Polling locations – Washington City

Five candidates are running for Washington City Council: incumbents Kurt Ivie and Garth Nisson, as well as challengers Daniel Cluff, Douglass Bennett and Doug Ward.

Read more: Washington City Council candidates skeptical of interchange

• Washington City precincts WA60, WA61, WA62, WA71: Washington City Hall, 111 N. 100 East.
• Washington City precincts WA63, WA64: Washington City Library, 220 N. 300 East.
• Washington City precincts WA65, WA68, WA72: Riverside Elementary, 2500 S. Harvest Lane.
• Washington City precincts WA66, WA73: Coral Canyon Elementary, 3435 E. Canyon Crest Ave.
• Washington City precincts WA67, WA70: Washington City Public Works Office, 1305 E. Washington Dam Road.
• Washington City precincts WA69: George Washington Academy, 2277 S. 3000 East, St. George.

Voter rights

Title 20A of the Utah Code covers the laws governing voting. For the intrepid soul who wants to read the code in depth, here is the link to section in question. For the rest of you, we’ve provided the following highlights:

Utah requires valid identification to vote. The most common form of ID is a driver’s license, but what if you don’t have one? The following forms of ID are also acceptable:

• A valid ID card issued by the state or a branch, department or agency of the United States.
• A valid Utah permit to carry a concealed weapon.
• A valid United States passport.
• A valid tribal ID card, whether or not the card includes a photograph of the voter.

Two forms of ID that display the voter’s name and provides evidence that the voter resides in the voting precinct are also acceptable, and there are others. UT Voter ID and Process on ID challenge.

Time off work, influencing an employee’s vote and intimidation/undue influence

• State law allows an employee the right to take two hours off work to vote. An employer who violates this right is subject to a class B misdemeanor.
• No employer/corporation shall influence an employee’s vote, or restrain an employee from voting in any way. Parties guilty of this act are subject to a class B misdemeanor.
• No person may intimidate or unduly influence another to vote, or not to vote, under any threats or infliction of force, restraint, violence, injury, damage, harm or loss. Persons or groups engaged in this behavior will be subject to a class B misdemeanor, along with any additional charges that may apply.

Absentee ballot holders – it’s too late to mail it – bring it with you to the polls.

The absentee ballot is only valid if it is clearly postmarked before (not on) election day and received in the county clerk’s office before noon on the day of the official canvass. That means if you still have it as you are reading this, it’s too late. But you can still vote at the polls.

• Take your absentee ballot with you to your polling place, and the pollworker will cancel the absentee ballot and then allow you to cast your votes at the poll.

You will not be allowed to cast your votes on the absentee ballot and deposit it with the pollworker. You will not be allowed to vote at the poll if you applied for an absentee ballot unless you bring it with you to the polls for cancellation.

If your right to vote is challenged at the polls, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.

Voters may also wish to review potential challenges to their eligibility at time of voting.

If your right to vote is challenged for any reason, insist on completing a provisional ballot right there at the polls.  The provisional ballot procedure for the poll workers and for you subsequent to completing a provisional ballot are itemized in the Election Code, Section  20A-3-105.5.  

Spoiled ballots (note for provisional ballots)

• If a voter “spoils” a ballot by making a mistake of some kind – marking the wrong candidate for example – the voter has the right to obtain a new ballot.

Though the majority of voting is done electronically, mistakes may still occur on provisional ballots. It is completely within a voter’s right to ask for a new ballot if he or she feels the original ballot has been rendered invalid.

During the 2016 general election, Tanya Reid, a Washington County resident who had planned to mail in her ballot, said she marked the wrong name while explaining election issues to one of her children.

Reid went to the county clerk’s office to retrieve a new ballot and was told the machines that scan absentee and provisional ballots work in a way similar to Scantron test forms. If there was “too much carbon” on the form or it was stained with coffee or another substance for example, the ballot would not scan properly.

When in doubt as to whether a ballot will scan, get a new one.

Still in line when the poll closes? Not a problem

Utah law states polling places shall be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. If a voter should happen to be in line to vote at 8 p.m., or arrives at 8 p.m., he or she is still eligible to vote at that time under the law.

Prohibited activities at the polling location – Excepts from 20A-3-501   

• Electioneering: any oral, printed or written attempt to persuade persons to refrain from voting or to vote for or vote against any candidate or issue.
• A person may not, within a polling place or in any public area within 150 feet of the building where a polling place is located, engage in elements of electioneering.
• Engaging in any practice that interferes with the freedom of voters to vote or disrupts the administration of the polling place.
• A person may not obstruct the doors or entries to a building in which a polling place is located or prevent free access to and from any polling place.

Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

For a complete list of prohibited activities at the polling place, visit Utah Code 20A-3-501.

A more detailed treatment of voting and the State Code can be found here.

Additional sections of note:

• Voting – Violations – Penalties
• False impersonation — Double voting
• False information on provisional ballot envelope

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.