Presidential election in Utah, 2016

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General election in Utah
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Donald Trump
Electoral votes: 6
2012 winner: Mitt Romney (R)
Democratic caucuses
  Date: March 22, 2016
Winner: Bernie Sanders
Republican caucuses
  Date: March 22, 2016
Winner: Ted Cruz
Down ballot races in Utah
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U.S. House
Governor
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Utah State Senate
Utah House of Representatives
Utah judicial elections
Utah local judicial elections
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Utah held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. Democratic and Republican caucuses in Utah took place on March 22, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Donald Trump won Utah in the general election.
  • In 2016, Utah had six electoral votes, which was 1.1 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 2.2 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, Utah cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.67 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Utah supported Republican candidates more often than Democrats, 73.33 to 23.33 percent. The state favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.[1] Polling from August and September, however, showed Donald Trump (R) with a 15 point lead over Hillary Clinton (D).
  • Presidential caucuses in Utah took place on March 22, 2016. Bernie Sanders won the Utah caucuses with 77.2 percent of the vote. Ted Cruz won the Republican caucuses with 69.2 percent.

    • General election candidates and results

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Utah state elections website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in Utah

    ☐ Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg (Unaffiliated)
    ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green - listed as Unaffiliated)
    ☐ Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart (Unaffiliated)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☐ Rocky Giordani/Farley Anderson (Independent American)
    ☑ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)
    ☐ Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley (Constitution)
    ☐ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
    ☐ Monica Moorehead/Lamont Lilly (Unaffiliated)
    ☐ Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson (Unaffiliated)[2]

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, Utah, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 27.5% 310,676 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 45.5% 515,231 6
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3.5% 39,608 0
         Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 0.8% 9,438 0
         Independent Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson 21.5% 243,690 0
         Constitution Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley 0.7% 8,032 0
         Independent American Rocky Giordani/Farley Anderson 0.2% 2,752 0
         Unaffiliated Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg 0.1% 883 0
         Unaffiliated Monica Moorehead/Lamont Lilly 0% 544 0
         Unaffiliated Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart 0% 521 0
         Unaffiliated Write-in candidates 0% 55 0
    Total Votes 1,131,430 6
    Election results via: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of Utah's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in Utah, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • Utah participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • Utah voted for the winning presidential candidate 76.67 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[3]
    • Utah voted Democratic 23.33 percent of the time and Republican 73.33 percent of the time.

    Third party vote

    In 1912, Woodrow Wilson ran as the Democratic candidate, Theodore Roosevelt ran as a Progressive candidate, and William H. Taft ran as the Republican candidate. Taft won Utah and Vermont, while Roosevelt won 11 electoral votes (Wilson got two) from California, 15 from Michigan, 12 from Minnesota, 38 in Pennsylvania, five from South Dakota, and seven from Washington.[4]

    Presidential election voting record in Utah, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.

    Polling

    Utah polls (2016)

    Ballotpedia's battleground state polling averages were based on polls that came out over a 20- to 30-day period. For example, an average might have covered all polls that were released for a state between September 1, 2016, and September 30, 2016. They were not weighted. Polling averages were checked and updated daily.

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    Utah electors

    In 2016, Utah had six electoral votes. Utah's share of electoral votes represented 1.1 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 2.2 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Democratic and Republicans electors in Utah were selected at state party conventions.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[6][7]

    Utah was one of 31 states in 2016—including the District of Columbia—with a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: Utah elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in Utah covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Caucuses

    Quick facts

    Democrats:
    • 2016 Democratic winner: Bernie Sanders
    • Poll leader: Statistical tie
    • 2008 Democratic winner: Barack Obama
    • Type: Caucus
    • Delegate allocation: Proportional
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 33
    		 Republicans
    • 2016 Republican winner: Ted Cruz
    • Poll leader: Ted Cruz
    • 2012 Republican winner: Mitt Romney
    • Type: Caucus
    • Delegate allocation: Proportional
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 40

    Democrats

    Bernie Sanders won the Utah Democratic caucus. He beat Hillary Clinton by almost 60 percentage points. Sanders carried Utah's largest county, Salt Lake, 79 to 21. Thirty-three delegates were up for grabs. They were allocated proportionally.

    Republicans

    Ted Cruz won the Utah Republican caucus. He beat John Kasich and Donald Trump, who came in second and third place respectively. Cruz received almost 70 percent of the vote, and he won every county in the state. Forty delegates were at stake. Because Cruz received a majority of the vote, he received all 40 delegates.

    March 22 primaries

    Two other western states held primary contests on March 22: Idaho and Arizona. American Samoa held a Republican territorial convention.

    2016 primary results

    Democrats

    Utah Democratic Caucus, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngBernie Sanders 77.2% 62,992 27
    Hillary Clinton 19.8% 16,166 6
    Roque De La Fuente 0% 22 0
    Mark Steward Greenstein 0% 12 0
    Other 0.4% 334 0
    Spoiled ballots 2.6% 2,085 0
    Totals 81,611 33
    Source: The New York Times and The Utah Democratic Party

    Republicans

    Utah Republican Caucus, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngTed Cruz 69.2% 122,567 40
    John Kasich 16.8% 29,773 0
    Donald Trump 14% 24,864 0
    Totals 177,204 40
    Source: The New York Times and CNN

    Polls

    Democratic primary

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Utah)
    Poll Bernie Sanders Hillary ClintonUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Deseret News/KSL
    March 8-15, 2016    		52%44%4%+/-7194
    Utah Policy
    February 10-15, 2016    		44%51%5%+/-3.92625
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

    Republican primary

    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (Utah)
    Poll Ted Cruz Donald TrumpMarco RubioJohn KasichBen CarsonUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Y2 Analytics
    March 17-19, 2016    		53%11%0%29%0%7%+/-N/A500
    Deseret News/KSL
    March 8-15, 2016    		42%21%17%13%0%7%+/-7215
    Utah Policy
    February 10-15, 2016    		22%18%24%4%9%22%+/-3.92625
    Salt Lake Tribune/Survey USA
    January 6-13, 2016    		18%17%15%1%15%34%+/-4.9989
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].


    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    Utah had 37 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 33 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide caucus results.[8][9]

    Four party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[8][10]

    Utah superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from Utah, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    Utah had 40 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 12 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's four congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any district-level delegates. If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the statewide caucus vote, he or she received all of the state's district delegates.[11][12]

    Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. Utah's at-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any at-large delegates. If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she won all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[11][12]

    Republican delegates

    See also: Republican delegates from Utah, 2016 and RNC delegate guidelines from Utah, 2016

    Presidential voting history

    Utah presidential election results (1900-2020)

    • 7 Democratic wins
    • 24 Republican wins
    Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
    Winning Party R R R R D R R R D D D D D R R R D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    State profile

    Demographic data for Utah
     UtahU.S.
    Total population:2,990,632316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):82,1703,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:87.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:1.1%12.6%
    Asian:2.2%5.1%
    Native American:1.1%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.9%0.2%
    Two or more:2.6%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:13.4%17.1%
    Bildung
    High school graduation rate:91.2%86.7%
    College graduation rate:31.1%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$60,727$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:12.7%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Utah.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Utah

    Utah voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.


    More Utah coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ MSNBC, "Could Utah be a presidential battleground state?" June 14, 2016
    2. ↑ On October 6, 2016, Evan McMullin announced Mindy Finn as his official running mate. As of October 10, 2016, Ballotpedia was not aware of any changes to this state's official list of certified presidential candidates.
    3. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    4. ↑ U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, "Electoral Votes, 1904-1912," accessed June 21, 2016
    5. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    6. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    7. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    9. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    10. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
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