If you were trying to keep track of the 2024 Utah elections dates, you probably realized pretty quickly that it wasn't just one single day at the polls. It was a whole saga. Honestly, between the caucus-convention system that Utah loves so much and the actual primary and general election days, things got a bit messy for the average voter.
Utah does things a little differently than most states. We have this unique way of vetting candidates through party delegates long before a regular person even sees a ballot. By the time the general election rolled around on November 5, 2024, most of the "real" drama had already happened in the spring and early summer.
When Did Everything Happen?
Basically, the calendar was split into three major milestones. If you missed one, you missed a huge chunk of the decision-making process.
- March 5, 2024: This was Super Tuesday. While some states had traditional primaries, Utah Republicans held precinct caucuses. Democrats, on the other hand, did a regular mail-in presidential preference primary.
- June 25, 2024: The Statewide Primary. This is where the intra-party battles for Governor and U.S. Senate were settled.
- November 5, 2024: The General Election. The big one.
The Super Tuesday Confusion
A lot of people showed up on March 5th expecting a regular voting booth experience and were surprised to find out they had to attend a neighborhood meeting (a caucus) if they were Republican. It’s a bit of a hurdle, but that's the "Utah way." Donald Trump ended up taking the GOP caucus with about 56% of the vote, while Joe Biden dominated the Democratic primary. It's interesting to note that even though it feels like forever ago, those March results set the entire tone for the year.
The Governor's Race: A Wild Ride
The 2024 Utah elections dates were particularly stressful for Governor Spencer Cox. Usually, an incumbent Republican in Utah sails through, but 2024 was... different.
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Cox faced a massive challenge from the right in State Representative Phil Lyman. At the GOP state convention in April, the delegates actually rejected Cox, giving Lyman a whopping 67% of the vote. In many states, that would be the end of the road. But Utah allows candidates to bypass the convention by gathering enough signatures. Cox did exactly that.
When the June 25 primary finally hit, the broader Republican electorate (not just the hardcore delegates) broke for Cox. He won with 54.4%, but it was way closer than anyone expected.
The drama didn't even end there. Lyman refused to concede and ran a write-in campaign for the general election. By the time November 5th arrived, Cox won his second term with about 53% of the vote. That might sound like a lot, but for a Utah Republican, it was actually the narrowest victory margin in decades. Basically, the write-in campaign ate a huge hole in his lead.
Replacing Mitt Romney
The U.S. Senate seat was another big deal on the 2024 calendar. With Mitt Romney stepping down, it was a "free-for-all" for a while.
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John Curtis, who many know from his time in the House, eventually won the seat. But he had to fight through a crowded primary on June 25th against Trent Staggs and Brad Wilson. Curtis is known for being a bit more moderate on things like climate change, which makes him a bit of an outlier in some GOP circles, but he ended up winning the general election handily with 62.5% of the vote. He beat Caroline Gleich, a professional ski mountaineer who ran as a Democrat.
What Most People Get Wrong About Utah Voting
One thing people always mess up is the registration deadlines. Utah is actually pretty chill about this—you can register at the polls on Election Day—but if you wanted a mail-in ballot sent to your house, you had to have your life together about 11 days before the 2024 Utah elections dates.
Utah is a mail-in state. Like, almost everyone does it. About 90% of us just drop our ballots in a mailbox or a secure drop box. In 2024, the state sent those ballots out around October 15th. If you were waiting until November 5th to think about it, you were already behind the curve.
The Ballot Measures That Actually Mattered
We didn't just vote for people. There were these "Amendments" that caused a lot of legal headaches.
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- Amendment B: This one passed easily. It basically just increases the amount of money the state can pull from the State School Fund to help pay for public schools.
- Amendment C: Also passed. This makes it a constitutional requirement that every county has an elected sheriff. Simple enough.
- The "Ghost" Amendments: You might remember seeing Amendment A and Amendment D on your ballot but then being told they didn't count. The courts stepped in and voided them because the language was considered "misleading." It was a mess. People were literally voting on things that the state supreme court had already said were invalid.
Real Numbers: How Many People Showed Up?
Turnout was... okay. It wasn't the record-shattering 90% we saw in 2020, but it was still high. About 85% of active registered voters turned out for the general election.
| Election Phase | Date | Key Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Presidential Caucus/Primary | March 5 | Trump (R) & Biden (D) wins |
| Statewide Primary | June 25 | Cox survives challenge; Curtis wins Senate GOP nod |
| General Election | November 5 | Trump wins 6 electoral votes; Cox & Curtis win |
Donald Trump ended up with 59.4% of the Utah vote in November. Interestingly, Kamala Harris got about 37.8%, which is actually the best a Democrat has done in Utah since the 60s. Utah is still deep red, but the margins in Salt Lake County and Summit County show that the state isn't a total monolith.
Take Action: What You Need to Do Now
Even though the 2024 Utah elections dates are behind us, the system keeps moving. If you moved house since the last election or if you didn't get your mail-in ballot like you should have, you need to fix that now so you're ready for the 2026 midterms.
- Check your registration status: Go to the official vote.utah.gov site. It takes like two minutes.
- Update your address: If you’ve moved, the post office will NOT forward your ballot. You have to update your voter file manually.
- Track your ballot: Utah has a "Text2Vote" service where they text you when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted. It’s super handy and cuts down on the "did they actually get my vote?" anxiety.
The 2024 cycle proved that even in a "safe" state like Utah, things can get pretty wild. Between write-in candidates and voided amendments, staying informed on the actual dates and rules is the only way to make sure your voice actually gets heard in the noise.
Verify your current voter registration status on the Lieutenant Governor's website today to ensure your mailing address is up to date for the next municipal cycle.