Word from the Salt Lake clerk…

The birthdates from the 1800′s are not data errors. The state did not require voters to provide a date of birth when they registered until the 1950s or 1960′s. When voter records became automated, the computers required a date, any date. In Salt Lake County, 090909 was used as a default date for all voters for whom we did not have a birthdate until Y2K when, for some reason, the date needed to be changed again to a date in the 1800′s (I don’t know why). When we receive an updated registration, the birthdate is updated but we have not actively sought out these voters for birthdates if they have had no other changes. The number of voters in this group gets smaller everyday as registrations are updated or the voters pass on.

These dates are not errors but are rather a means of preserving the right to vote for our senior voters.

Scott Konopasek
SL County Director of Elections