People in Park City and the rest of Summit County are likely deciding which spot they will select for a summer vacation.
But they also need to start deciding which candidate they will select in a June primary election. Ballots are expected to arrive in mailboxes within days.
The campaign season is reaching one of its most important dates, the June 28 primary, even as many people seem much more interested in finalizing plans for vacations after the pandemic altered or forced the cancellation of so many trips during the past two summers.
It has always seemed that most primary elections held in the summer just do not command the attention of the broad electorate. There are too many distractions this time of year and interest in politics, in years when the White House is not at the top of the ticket, tends to escalate only after Labor Day.
The 2022 campaign, importantly, is the first since congressional and legislative districts were redrawn following the census two years ago. The redrawn congressional districts are especially notable with Summit County being split between the 1st Congressional District and the 3rd Congressional District.
The political reality is the Republican primary voters will also likely decide the November winners this month since the makeup of the statewide and district-wide electorates lean so heavily toward the GOP. The Republican primaries, open only to registered members of the party, many times are more intense than the fall campaigns since the candidates and their supporters understand the stakes.
The Republican voters in Summit County will help decide the party nomination in the hotly contested U.S. Senate primary between Sen. Mike Lee and opponents Becky Edwards and Ally Isom. They will also help select the Republican nominees in both of the congressional districts that cover the county.
There are, however, no Democratic primary elections in Summit County this year as the party finalized its slate of candidates without the need for voters to make the decisions.
The ballots were scheduled to be sent to voters early in the week. Make sure to check the mail before you check in at your favorite vacation spot.