The Utah Rules

Utah is relatively new to the sparkle and glitz of presidential primaries. the state held its first such event in 2000 as part of an unusual Friday vote in early March that involved several other Rocky Mountain states. Yet even then, the primary in the Beehive State came too late to have any impact at all on the Democratic or Republican contests. This time, Utah has insured itself at least a smidgen of influence by joining much of the rest of the country in balloting on Feb. 5. Its vote on the Republican side will be watched as a test of Mormon support for one of their own, Mitt Romney.

Only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary, although other voters can take part in the GOP contest by changing their affiliation at the polls. the Democratic primary is open to any registered voter in Utah. the state is in the process of phasing in party registration. As of July 2007, there were 1,474,483 registered voters in Utah; as of October 2007, there were 530,839 affiliated Republicans and 122,992 affiliated Democrats.