Running for office in Duchesne County, Utah.

The short version.

A plain-language guide to how county ballot access works in every one of Utah's 29 counties. Utah has no separate Secretary of State -- the Lieutenant Governor's office runs elections statewide -- but every county race still files locally with the County Clerk. Declaration-of-candidacy filing for the 2026 cycle already closed (Jan 2-8, 2026) and the June 23, 2026 primary already happened, but a write-in door for the November 3, 2026 general election is still open through August 28, 2026. This guide covers what's still ahead and names your county's Clerk, the office that actually accepts every county candidate's filing.

Utah's row officers -- Assessor, Attorney, Auditor, Clerk, Recorder, Sheriff, Surveyor and Treasurer -- serve four-year terms under Utah Code Title 17, Chapter 53, and a full slate of them was on the 2026 ballot alongside County Commission or Council seats. Commission and Council seats are staggered on a roughly two-year offset, so not every seat renews the same year -- confirm which seats are up with your County Clerk. A handful of counties, Salt Lake being the largest, have adopted an alternate form of government under Utah Code Title 17, Chapter 52a with an elected County Council and, in some cases, a separately elected County Mayor in place of the traditional three-member Commission.

This page covers that for Duchesne County and points you at your local election office for anything specific to your county. It is not legal advice; the official rules live with your election office and the Utah Lieutenant Governor (state elections chief).

Duchesne County by the numbers.

Utah election calendar (2026).

Utah runs one statewide primary and general election calendar for every county. The dates below cover the 2026 cycle -- filing and the primary are already over, but the general election and a still-open write-in door are still ahead -- plus the next regular filing window most county offices are expected to use.

• Fri Jan 2 - Thu Jan 8, 2026Declaration-of-candidacy filing window for 2026 county offices -- already closed. The window opens January 2 and runs through the fourth business day after, filed in person with the County Clerk (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-201, 20A-9-202).
• Jan - Mar 2026Signature-gathering window for candidates who chose the petition path instead of, or alongside, their party's county convention -- already closed. Completed petitions were due two weeks before each party's county convention (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-403, 20A-9-405, 20A-9-408).
• Tue Jun 23, 2026Utah's 2026 regular primary election -- already held. Contested county primaries were decided here.
• Fri Aug 28, 2026, 5 p.m.Write-in candidate filing deadline for the November 3, 2026 general election -- still open as of this guide. A write-in declaration of candidacy must reach the County Clerk (or the Lieutenant Governor's office) by the last business day at least 65 calendar days before the general election (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-601).
• Tue Nov 3, 2026Utah's 2026 general election -- still ahead.
• Expected Jan 2030Best estimate for the next regular declaration-of-candidacy window for most county row offices, which serve four-year terms set to expire after the 2026 election. County Commission and Council seats are staggered, so some seats are up again in 2028 -- confirm which seats and which years apply to your county with the County Clerk.

These filing rules are set statewide by the Utah Election Code, but the exact offices on your county's ballot, and which County Commission or Council seats are up in a given year, varies by county -- confirm both with your County Clerk before relying on any date here.

Offices on the ballot in Duchesne County.

Utah's counties elect a Commission (or, in a few counties that have adopted an alternate form of government, a Council -- with or without a separately elected County Mayor) plus a slate of row officers set by Utah Code Title 17, Chapter 53: Assessor, Attorney, Auditor, Clerk, Recorder, Sheriff, Surveyor and Treasurer. The County Clerk, listed for every county below, is the filing officer for every county race and administers the county's elections.

• County Commissioner or Council Member -- governs the county; a 4-year term, staggered so not every seat is up the same year. Confirm which seat, if any, is up with your County Clerk.
• County Clerk -- the filing officer for every county race and the office that administers elections; 4-year term. In most counties this office is combined with Auditor as "Clerk/Auditor;" a few of the state's largest counties elect them separately.
• County Auditor -- oversees county financial claims and payments; combined with Clerk in most counties (see above).
• County Treasurer -- collects and manages county funds; 4-year term.
• County Recorder -- keeps official land and property records; 4-year term. Some smaller counties combine this office with Clerk/Auditor.
• County Sheriff -- the county's chief law enforcement officer; 4-year term, with peace-officer certification required before filing (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-201(3)(d)).
• County Attorney -- the county's prosecutor and legal officer; 4-year term, must be a licensed, active member of the Utah State Bar.
• County Assessor -- values property for taxation; 4-year term.
• County Surveyor -- maintains county land surveys and boundary records; 4-year term. In some smaller counties this office sits vacant or is combined with another.

Which of these are elected on their own, which are combined, and which use a Commission versus a Council (and whether that Council has a separately elected Mayor) all depend on that county's own structure under Utah Code Title 17. The County Clerk is the filing officer for every county race and the right first call for anything this page does not answer.

How to get on the ballot.

Utah runs a dual-path system for party candidates -- qualify through your party's county convention, gather voter signatures instead, or do both -- plus a petition route for unaffiliated candidates and a write-in option with no petition at all. The 2026 filing and convention windows have closed, but the write-in door for the November 3, 2026 general election is open through August 28, 2026.

Declaration of candidacy plus convention or signatures -- both closed for 2026.

A party candidate for county office files a declaration of candidacy with the County Clerk and pays a filing fee of $50 plus one-eighth of 1% of the total salary for the full term of the office sought (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-201(8)). The 2026 filing window ran January 2-8, 2026. From there, a candidate could seek the party's nomination at its county convention, gather signatures from at least 2% of the party's members in that county (a threshold the Lieutenant Governor publishes by November 30 of the preceding odd year), or pursue both paths at once (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-403, 20A-9-405).

Write-in candidates -- still open through August 28, 2026.

A write-in candidate for county office files a declaration of candidacy with the County Clerk no later than 5 p.m. on the last business day that is at least 65 calendar days before the general election -- Friday, August 28, 2026 for the November 3, 2026 general election (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-601). The same filing fee (or impecuniosity affidavit) that applies to a declared candidate applies here too.

Unaffiliated candidates -- a signature petition, no convention.

A candidate who does not seek a party's nomination may qualify by petition: signatures from at least 5% of the registered voters in the political division sought, or 300, whichever is less, filed during the same window as party candidates (Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-502).

Statutory references: Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-201(8) ($50 plus 1/8 of 1% of the office's full-term salary; an affidavit of impecuniosity substitutes for candidates who cannot pay) · Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-201, 20A-9-202 (declaration of candidacy opens Jan. 2 and closes the 4th business day after) · Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-403, 20A-9-405, 20A-9-408 (a candidate may qualify for the primary ballot via convention, a 2%-of-party-members signature petition, or both) · Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-502 (petition of 5% of registered voters in the division, or 300, whichever is less) · Utah Code Sec. 20A-9-601 (declaration of write-in candidacy due by 5 p.m. on the last business day at least 65 calendar days before the general election) · Utah Code Sec. 20A-1-201, 20A-1-201.5 (regular primary in June; general election the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November) · Utah Code Title 17, Chapter 53 (elective county officers) and Title 17, Chapter 52a (optional forms of county government) · Utah Code Sec. 20A-2-104 (a candidate for public office, a political party, and their contractors, employees and volunteers are a 'qualified person' who may obtain and use voter registration information -- including information otherwise withheld as private -- for a political purpose of that candidate or party; the base list of registered voters is available to any individual for a fee). Fees and signature counts change; confirm before you file.

The Duchesne County Clerk.

Utah's ballot access runs through this office -- the County Clerk actually accepts every county candidate's declaration of candidacy, administers the election, and is the source of truth for county-specific deadlines and which seats are up this cycle.

Contact details verified 2026-08-14. Official statewide sources: Utah Lieutenant Governor: Current Election Information · Utah Lieutenant Governor: 2026 Candidate Filings · Utah Lieutenant Governor: County Clerk Contact Information · Utah Code Title 20A: Election Code · Utah Code Sec. 20A-2-104: Voter Registration Lists.

Common questions.

After you qualify: the field operation.

Utah's mix of dense Wasatch Front suburbs and vast, sparsely populated redrock and desert counties means turf looks very different county to county -- some races are won door to door across a few square miles of a county seat, others cover thousands of square miles where a phone call reaches a supporter faster than a knock ever could.

That is the part Motion51 was built for. You scope your district, cut turf, and send volunteers out with a phone instead of a clipboard. It works offline, so canvassing does not stop where the cell signal does, and every door is logged with a timestamp for your records. Our For Candidates page walks through what that looks like.

Counties next to Duchesne.

Running in a district that crosses a county line? Each of these has its own guide.

See all Utah counties →