Guide to the 2020 Presidential Primaries
SUPER TUESDAY IS COMING UP ON MARCH 3! GET READY TO CAST YOUR VOTE!
The 2020 Elections are already underway, with Iowa kicking off the Presidential Primary election on February 3, and three other states holding primaries in February. Utah’s Presidential Primary Elections will be held on “Super Tuesday” on March 3, 2020. LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES!
*NOTE: Several candidates fro the Democratic Presidential Primary race have dropped out in recent days. Be sure your candidate is still in the running before casting your vote!
4 Ways to cast your vote in the 2020 Presidential Primaries in Utah
- Postmark your mail-in ballot by March 2.
- Drop off your ballot at your county clerk’s office or at a voting location near you before 8p on March 3.
- Vote in-person on election day at your local polling location. Be sure to bring your photo ID!
- Not registered to vote? Register on March 3 at your polling location and file a provisional ballot.
Check vote.utah.gov for your local polling and ballot drop-off locations.
3 Ways to get ready to cast your vote in the 2020 Presidential Primaries
1. Register to vote
- The deadline for registering to vote by mail for the Presidential Primary has passed, but there is still time to register in person at your County Clerk’s office, online or by texting “VOTERISE” to 788-683. Registering takes three minutes or less!
- Update your voter registration if you have moved by clicking here.
- Spread the word to get others registered to vote!
2. Make a plan to vote
- Mark your calendar for elections on March 3 and decide how, when and where you will cast your ballot NOW to make sure you don’t miss your chance to cast your vote.
3. Get to know the candidates
- Use this Guide to the 2020 Presidential Primaries for resources to help you understand the candidates.
- Watch upcoming Democratic Presidential Debates (see the debate schedule below).
FAQs
When is the 2020 Presidential Primary Election?
Presidential Primary elections are races that are held on different dates from state to state within each party, either in the form of a caucus or primary election. In 2020 some state parties have opted out of holding a primary election at all. The 2020 Election will begin as usual with the Iowa Caucus on February 3, 2020. The Democratic and Republican Primaries will be held on the same day in Utah on “Super Tuesday,” on March 3, 2020. Presidential Primaries and Caucuses in other states will be held from Feb 3 through June 16th, though a large number of states will also hold their primaries on Super Tuesday. See the Primary Election Schedule here.
Who is running? The field of candidates began with 24 Democrats and 2 Republicans and has grown and shrunk. Find out who they are. Find links to candidate websites here. Find current polling numbers here. Find out about major endorsements for the candidates here.
Who can vote? All registered voters in Utah may cast a ballot, though each voter must choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot, and may not vote in both parties’ primaries. Only voters who are affiliated as a Republican or who declare at the polls may vote in a Republican primary, should there be one. Any registered voter may cast a ballot in the Democratic primary. Be sure to register to vote at least 30 days in advance by mail or at least 7 days in advance in person, online or by text! How to register to vote.
Debates
Democratic Presidential Debates
The Democratic National Convention sets the rules and schedule for Democratic Presidential Debates, holdiing 10 debates between 2019 and 2020. See below for recaps on the debates in the series.
Presidential Debates
The Commission on Presidential Debates will host three Presidential Debates.
- First presidential debate, Tuesday, September 29, 2020 – University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
- Second presidential debate, Thursday, October 15, 2020 – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- Third presidential debate, Thursday, October 22, 2020 – Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Vice Presidential Debate
The Commission on Presidential Debates will host one Vice Presidential Debate right here in Utah!
- Vice Presidential Debate, October 7, 2020 – Hosted by University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT
Debate Tickets
US Presidential Election News has a great description on how to get tickets to attend events in person. Check back for more ticket updates frequently as more debate information becomes available.
DEBATE RECAPS
Democratic Presidential Debates
Check out what happened in all 10 debates that were held in the series.
Tenth Democratic Presidential Debate (February 25, 2020 – Hosted by CBS News/Congressional Black Caucus Institute in Charleston, SC)
- CBS: 8 Top moments from the South Carolina Democratic debate
- NPR: 4 Takeaways from the South Carolina Democratic debate
Ninth Democratic Presidential Debate (February 19th, 2020 – Hosted by NBC News/MSNBC with a local newspaper in Las Vegas, NV)
- ABC: Moments that mattered from the 9th Democratic debate
- CNN: Fact checking the contentious Democratic debate
Eighth Democratic Presidential Debate (February 7th, 2020 – Hosted by ABC/WMUR-TV and Apple News at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH)
- Washington Post: Winners and Losers from the Eighth Democratic Presidential Debate
- CNBC: Highlights from the 2020 Democratic Debate in New Hampshire
Seventh Democratic Presidential Debate (January 14th, 2020 – Hosted by CNN/Des Moines Register in Des Moines, IA)
- Newsweek: Who Won the Seventh Democratic Debate in Iowa?
- Washington Post: Fact Checking the Seventh Democratic Debate
Sixth Democratic Presidential Debate (December 19, 2019 – Hosted by PBS News Hour/Politico and also on CNN, Los Angeles, CA)
- Politico: Who won the debate and more takeaways from a fireworks filled night
- WATCH: PBS News Hour: All the key moments from the debate
Fifth Democratic Presidential Debate (November 20, 2019 – Hosted by MSNBC/Washington Post in Atlanta, GA)
- Five Thirty Eight: Won who the debate?
- Washington Post: Democratic debate highlights: Candidates discuss rights and U.S. role in the world
Fourth Democratic Presidential Debate (Oct 15, 2019 – Hosted by CNN/NY Times in Westerville, OH)
- Washington Post: What you missed while not watching last night’s Democratic presidential debate
- CNN: 7 Takeaways from the CNN/NY Times Democratic presidential debate
Third Democratic Presidential Debate (Sept 12, 2019 – Hosted by ABC/Univision in Houston, TX)
- CBS News: Democrats clash on healthcare and immigration in third debate
- NY Times: 6 Takeaways from the September Democratic Debate
Second Democratic Presidential Debates (July 30-31, 2019 – Hosted by CNN in Detroit, MI)
- NY Times: Who Won Night 1 of the Democratic Debate: Experts Weigh In
- Vox: 4 winners and 3 losers from the second night of the July Democratic debates
- Fox News: Doug Schoen: Second Democractic debate — Two big winners, two big losers and one big, unanswered question
- FiveThirtyEight: National 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary Polls
First Democratic Presidential Debates (June 26-27, 2019 – Hosted by NBC in Miami, FL)
- NBC News: First Democratic Debate, nights 1 and 2, in Under 10 Minutes
- FiveThirtyEight: What Went Down on Night One of the First Democratic Debates
- NYTimes: 6 Highlights from Night 2 of the Democratic Debates
- Fortune: Democratic Debate Night 2: What We Learned From Each Candidate
- The Hill: Winners and losers from two nights of Democratic debates