As we prepare to cast our votes, I wondered what’s motivating Utahns this election season. So I asked.

Readers shared why they vote, why they might be apathetic this time around and which voting decisions they’ve regretted.

Most said voting feels like a civic duty, and a few seemed optimistic that doing so could improve their community.

“I want to help the country choose a different path,” David in Salt Lake City wrote. “The current administration does not reflect or respect me or most people I know. I want to vote for courtesy, decorum and actually listening and discussing ideas with respect for the person on the other side. We need to be better people again.”

Others reported feeling a more urgent pull to vote.

“[I feel] a combination of grief, anger and despair at the political direction of this country and, to a lesser extent, this state,” Mark in Millville wrote.

[See The Salt Lake Tribune’s 2026 Voter Guide]

I was also curious if anyone ever felt unmotivated to vote. And, while most offered an emphatic “no,” a few admitted to feeling apathetic at times.

“The partisan tide reduces and even eliminates choice in many jurisdictions,” Matthew in Lehi wrote. “I’ve been a lonely progressive in a staunchly conservative region my whole life, and it’s hard to continue voicing an opinion that gets drowned out by a majority.”

Lastly, I asked about voting regrets. Again, the majority of respondents said they felt confident in their decisions — but a few felt brave enough to share instances of voters’ remorse:

“Richard Nixon,” Jerry in Salt Lake wrote. “I was young and dumb and raised by Republican activists.”

“I voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary against Barack Obama,” Breanne in West Jordan wrote. “I voted for him in the final election, but I wish I had voted for him to begin with.”

“I voted for Ross Perot and Ralph Nader,” Craig in Ogden wrote. “Those were throwaway votes.”

“I voted in a county election using a ballot drop-off after talking to the candidate for an hour on the phone,” Sequoia in Pleasant Grove wrote. “They seemed sincere in listening to my feedback and concerns and made some promises, but then they made some outrageous decisions that seemed to completely fly in the face of the conversation we’d had, and it was too late to change my vote because I’d already dropped off the ballot.”

“I voted for Cox,” Sharon in Bountiful wrote. “Then he announced his support of Trump after he had previously not endorsed him.”

“Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020,” Brent in Pleasant View wrote.

“I once voted for John Curtis for Congress because he had been a very good Democratic Provo mayor,” Candace in Provo wrote. “His record in D.C. is a source of embarrassment now.”

“I abstained in the 2016 presidential election,” Peyton in Millcreek wrote, “and will always regret not using my Florida ballot to put one more vote against Trump now that we’ve seen what a nightmare he’s turned out to be — a nightmare beyond what we could’ve imagined a politician could be in the United States in the 21st century. ”

“The one time I voted for the best candidate instead of the lesser of two dominant evils,” Dave in Logan wrote, “the greater evil won.”

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