Deidre Henderson

Statewide turnout in Utah's midterm election stood at nearly 23% as of Friday, below the 46.8% seen in 2022, according to Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's office. Rich County led turnout at 43.6%, while Tooele County trailed at 16%. The focal race is the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, created after a legal fight over gerrymandering produced a Salt Lake County-based, blue-leaning seat that could end Utah's all-Republican delegation. Candidates include former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams, Republican Riley Owen, Libertarian Jesse West, unaffiliated candidate Elias Montgomery, and write-in Babak "Bobby" Darvish. Unaffiliated voters have grown to 28.7% of the electorate, while Republican registration has slipped and Democratic registration has risen since January.

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has drawn support from Gov. Spencer Cox and former Gov. Gary Herbert after refusing a Justice Department request for the state's full voter registration list, including sensitive personal data. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into Henderson over the refusal, arguing it violates federal law. Henderson's office maintains that neither state nor federal law entitles the DOJ to collect private information on citizens, and Cox has publicly criticized the investigation as improper.

The dispute comes as the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Trump administration plan requiring the Postal Service to screen mailed ballots against a federal citizen registry before delivery, upholding an injunction against the rule. Henderson said the ruling ensures Utah's 2026 election will proceed normally. Utah relies heavily on vote-by-mail, which state officials credit with boosting turnout from among the lowest in the nation to among the highest since 2018. A recent state audit found only a small number of confirmed noncitizens among Utah's more than 2 million registered voters, underscoring officials' argument that state-run election oversight is working effectively.