Appearance of Candidate Name on Ballot

New ballot rules for Utah candidates

Effective May 7, 2025, Utah requires candidates’ legal first and last names on ballots unless officials approve an allowed variation. Candidates must request variations by 5 p.m. on the last day to file for office. Using a legal middle name or its common derivative requires sworn statements from the candidate and five county residents outside their immediate family. These statements must confirm the candidate generally uses that name. General nickname requests need the same support, plus the candidate’s sworn statement that the nickname is not for ballot advantage. Nicknames cannot mislead, impersonate someone, promote a group or issue, act as slogans, include offensive language, or use titles or credentials. Officials can approve timely requests for common first-name derivatives or allowed initials without the general nickname requirements. Officials must decide within five business days; candidates have five days to appeal a rejection or missed decision deadline to court. Officials can add middle names or arrange another way to distinguish similar names. These rules also cover municipal general-election ballots and primary ballots, including school board races; instant-runoff races have an exception where required. In even-numbered years, the lieutenant governor must create a random 26-letter order within 30 days after the candidate filing deadline. The list must be published within 15 days and governs candidate order that year by legal surname, then legal first and middle names for ties. Single-candidate races and judicial retention elections are exempt from these ordering rules.