Utah once had one of the best voter participation rates in the nation, with turnout reaching nearly 70% in elections going back to 1980. That’s gone down significantly in recent years, and a new Utah Foundation report Voting in Utah: Analyzing Current Practices and Future Options for Utah Voters looks at reasons for that decline as well as efforts to bring it back up.
While there are some innovative programs designed to bring new voters into the system – such as signing up high school students before they’re actually old enough to vote – the report finds that additional programs such as improved outreach to the voting-age population could help to increase participation.
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