More than a week after Election Day, a clerical issue has caused the disqualification of two candidates for Wasatch County School Board. Both Tom Stone — who had presumably secured his seat with 41% of the vote — and Randall Lund were eliminated from the race Thursday, Nov. 14.

A notice from Wasatch County Clerk Joey Granger stated that neither candidate submitted their General Report financial disclosure by the required deadline. Because of this, both Stone and Lund have “been disqualified and the county will no longer count any votes for this candidate.”

Of more than 18,000 ballots received by Election Day, 962 were left to be counted. 

Stone, vying for School Board District Seat E, held a lead of 134 votes against Bradley Ehlert as of Thursday. While candidates were required to submit their financial disclosure form by Oct. 29, Stone submitted his on Oct. 31. 

“As I went back and said, ‘Well, wait a minute. What’s going on here?’” Stone said. “What I’ve been learning is that every other candidate has been receiving reminders that it’s due.”

According to Stone, if a candidate is delinquent on their report, a 24-hour grace period and $100 fine would be issued to amend the error. Stone said that despite his understanding of the process, he did not receive any correspondence on the matter. 

Ehlert is now presumed to take Seat E with 1,689 votes in his favor. Stone, who said the alleged oversight on communication was “gigantically a big problem,” plans on challenging the disqualification. 

Wasatch County Clerk Joey Granger was unavailable for comment. 

Wasatch County School Board candidate Kim Dickerson, who already held 48% of the vote by Thursday, will almost certainly take Seat F with the disqualification of Lund. Dickerson secured 1,974 votes. A total of 1,236 were counted in Lund’s favor of of Thursday. 

Dickerson had no comment on the disqualification of her opponent. 

“Thank you to all of those who supported me,” Dickerson said when asked about the election. “I look forward to serving over the next four years.”

The post Two Wasatch County School Board candidates disqualified due to clerical issue appeared first on Park Record.

Democrat Megan McKenna maintained a strong lead over Republican Ari Ioannides in the first days after the general election, but the margin in the race for Summit County Council Seat C shrunk to about 1% as of Wednesday.

Preliminary results released by the Summit County Clerk’s Office midweek showed 278 votes separated the candidates with early in-person votes and those cast on Election Day now processed. 

Clerk Eve Furse anticipated the final batch of results could be released late Friday or Saturday afternoon.

“I expect that’s the last one unless we get in a flood of ballots. We were waiting on a couple of things equipment-wise that we just need to tie up … but we’re really hopeful to be able to put it out,” she said.

McKenna was on track to take Seat C with a more than 5% lead last week and strong support from the Park City and Snyderville Basin areas. She received 12,163 votes, or 50.58% as of Wednesday.

However, Ioannides was the standout candidate among eastern Summit County voters — many of whom are Republican and lean toward in-person voting. He earned 11,885 votes, or 49.42%, with the latest count.

Furse said the Clerk’s Office has just under 700 ballots left to process. That means Ioannides could still gain the ground needed to win. 

The Clerk’s Office is committed to having all votes processed by the canvass on Nov. 19. That’s when the results would become official.

Under Utah law, a recount is mandatory if the margin of victory is less than or equal to 0.25% of the total votes cast. Every single vote — more than 25,000 ballots — would have to be recounted under that scenario. 

“We would rerun all the ballots and recount them to make sure no errors were made. We check everything that we can check and verify to make sure that it all comes out right,” Furse said.

Clerk’s Office staff began counting mail-in or drop-box ballots as they started arriving on Oct. 22. Early in-person voting started on Oct. 31, and ballot processing continued.

“Usually we’re able to catch up before Election Day and then we can maybe get early [in-person] votes in … but we weren’t able to get them because we had such a lag from what was received before early voting,” Furse explained.

The equipment used to count votes has additional signature requirements for mail-in and drop-box ballots compared to those cast in person, so it must be reprogrammed before the Clerk’s Office switches over. The switch happened on Wednesday.

Furse said they prioritized counting ballots where signatures had to match to give those voters as much time as possible to cure their vote if there was an issue. The Clerk’s Office is still waiting to verify some of those ballots as well as those from overseas voters. 

Signature affidavits must be returned to the Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Monday for the ballot to be counted. They can be sent via mail or dropped off in person. However, Furse recommended taking a photo of it and emailing it to elections@summitcounty.org.

McKenna never claimed victory in the Seat C election, instead wanting to wait until the Clerk’s Office finished counting ballots. 

“I appreciate everyone’s support and encouragement as we await final vote counts. It’s been an anxious 10 days after a long campaign but I know the Clerk’s Office is working diligently to ensure every vote is counted. It’s looking to be a close race and all we can do at this point is patiently allow the process to play out as voters intended,” McKenna said. “I feel good about the race we ran, knowing we gave it our best effort.”

Ioannides spoke to the Democrat on Friday afternoon to acknowledge that she was well ahead at that point. He recognized he had an uphill battle as a Republican in a predominantly Democrat county, though the new votes counted indicate he still has a chance.

“Win or lose, I am grateful for the support, energy, and dedication that has driven this effort from the start,” Ioannides said.

One of the things that made the 2024 election both unique, and challenging, in Summit County was the large number of write-in votes. 

Phil Lyman garnered a lot of write-in support with almost 2,000 residents writing him in for governor. That meant two sets of eyes had to look at the ballot and confirm who the person voted for.

That added a lot of time for staff and was a factor in why it took longer to count the votes in the general election.

The post Race for Summit County Council Seat C tightens up with more ballots counted appeared first on Park Record.

The Summit County Clerk’s Office is still working to count ballots a week after Election Day to meet the Nov. 19 canvassing deadline.

A little more than 23,300 ballots have been counted so far, according to a report released Monday by County Clerk Eve Furse.

“I’m really hoping we’ll be through the vast majority of it this week,” Furse said Monday. “We have three of our four full-time staff members here, and then in addition to that, we have another five poll workers who are temporarily helping.”

For a ballot to be counted, Furse and her staff compare the voter’s signature to another signature on file — typically from the voter’s driver’s license — and begin the verification process. If a signature is rejected, then Furse has two days to send the voter an affidavit. That needs to be returned to the Clerk’s Office before Nov. 18 for the vote to be counted.

Once the signatures match, election officials open the envelopes and run the ballots through a tabulator. Each process is documented with signatures as well as dates and times. At least two people always need to be present, too. Those results are then taken to the Summit County Council for the official canvassing Tuesday, Nov. 19.

“We provide the County Council with a breakdown of how many people are registered to vote, how many people voted, how many votes we disqualified and why,” Furse said. “And then they have the opportunity to ask questions at that point or to look into anything that they might have concerns about. Once they become satisfied that these are the results, then they will approve them and that data is sent up the chain to the lieutenant governor’s office. That’s what makes it official.”

With a total of 29,700 registered voters, Summit County so far has an overall voter turnout of around 79%. However, Furse expects that number to increase in the coming days.

“In 2022, which was a federal election year but not a presidential election, we had about a 71%, 72% turnout,” she said. “The last presidential election in 2020 was probably an abnormality in some ways because of COVID, but that turnout was about 92%, so I think we’re going to be pretty on par with that, which I think is a pretty good turnout.”

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Democratic incumbent Roger Armstrong appears to have won his reelection bid for Summit County Council Seat A based on preliminary general election night results.

Armstrong is poised to retain his seat with 8,378 votes, or about 56%, while his Republican challenger Tory Welch earned 6,670 votes, or about 44%, according to the results released on Thursday night.

Welch, an Army veteran and small business owner from Hoytsville, earned strong support from East Side voters. However, that support was not enough to overcome the backing Armstrong received from the Park City area.

The incumbent was hesitant to accept victory until the Summit County Clerk’s Office finished counting the ballots, but he was pleased with the preliminary results as well as the projected high voter turnout. 

Armstrong said seeing citizens becoming more engaged is one of the best things. There were 15,815 ballots cast and voter turnout was estimated at 53% as of Thursday, according to the Summit County Clerk’s Office. Clerk Eve Furse anticipated it could reach 90% when all the ballots are counted.

“When you step back up, it opens the door for a referendum for the people,” he said on Thursday. 

Armstrong spent Tuesday night at home watching a Netflix show with his wife, Beth. The couple had dinner and some popcorn before calling it an early night. They wanted some rest before waking up to the results on Wednesday.

Welch also spent election night with his family, not focusing too much on the local results because he expected them to take a while to be released. 

The Republican said he wasn’t surprised by the County Council results, although he wished it was a closer race. Still, he recognized his chances running against a 12-year incumbent Democrat in a blue district. Welch’s campaign was focused on breaking one-party control in Summit County and bringing diverse viewpoints to the County Council.

“It was always a bit of a long shot,” Welch conceded. “I’d hoped to do a little bit better, but I wasn’t expecting a miracle.”

Welch spent about $4,639 on his campaign and raised more than $7,000.

Armstrong didn’t fundraise, only spending $339.46 on the candidate filing fee. He also didn’t create a campaign website or yard signs for the 2024 election. 

The incumbent said his record of service is well known, and he wanted others to be aware of Welch’s platform. Armstrong did appear at community forums and candidate debates to help voters differentiate between himself and Welch.

Armstrong praised Welch for a thoughtful campaign. He encouraged his opponent to consider running for a board position to stay involved in local politics.

After his four years are up, Armstrong said there’s a 0% chance he’ll run again. He said he doesn’t want to stay too long, and feels his service will be enough at the end of his newest term.

Armstrong said he’s been very lucky to serve with a number of prominent community members including Kim Carson, Claudia McMullin and Dave Ure. He also looks forward to continuing to work with the current and incoming County Council over the next four years.

“At some point you have to stop,” he said. “At the end of my term, I’ll go happily into the haze.”

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Friends, family and neighbors drove up the dark, winding road to Tollgate Canyon on Tuesday hoping for an evening where politics seemed a little less divisive — until the weather had a say.

Republican Ari Ioannides hosted an election night watch party at his eastern Summit County home that started as a gathering of campaign supporters eager to watch the national and local results roll in. But as the attendees discussed local issues and what the next chapter for the county could be, Ioannides announced some unexpected news: No one could leave.

Feelings of unease swirled as Democrats and Republicans, often on opposite sides of the political spectrum, were forced to stay put for a few hours while the slippery road was cleared. 

About a dozen miles away in Quarry Village, Democrat Megan McKenna and more than 100 party members met at O’Shucks to watch the election returns. Anxiety was high, but it was also an opportunity to celebrate their hard work.

Yet the mood at both events shifted to camaraderie as the evening wore on, weathering both the storm and the unpredictability of the election.

For many, the gatherings reflected the heart of the Summit County Council campaign: forging connections with people who may have different opinions, sharing a commitment to community, and working together to find a way forward.

The candidates for Seat C were both inspired to run for the County Council to be a voice for underrepresented voters in the community. 

Ioannides characterized himself as a moderate Republican seeking to represent residents of eastern Summit County who do not feel heard, while McKenna has been a champion for the working class.

McKenna, who appears to have won the election based on preliminary results released Thursday, has been campaigning for the open seat since filing her candidacy in January. 

She faced off against Snyderville Basin Planning Commissioner Thomas Cooke at the Summit County Democratic Party nominating convention in March, and later won the June primary election after neither candidate was able to secure 60% of the delegate vote.

Since then, she was focused on the general election. 

Ioannides had an easier path to earning his place on the ballot when Republican Byron Ames dropped out of the race, eliminating the need for the party to choose its nominee. However, Ioannides felt that might have actually been a disadvantage because there wasn’t as much publicity surrounding his candidacy.

Both the local Democratic and Republican campaigns started to heat up in August. McKenna and Ioannides each hosted meet-the-candidate events, debated at community forums, canvassed neighborhoods, participated in phone banking and organized fundraisers.

Pre-election campaign financial reports submitted in late October reveal Ioannides collected around $23,745 in contributions from 48 people, including a $13,000 donation from himself. He estimated the expenditures would cause the campaign to break even.
McKenna raised about $34,200 in monetary contributions from more than 100 donors as well as $4,167 from in-kind donations. She had $5,604 left over as of the latest filing.

The Summit County GOP donated $1,000 to Ioannides, while McKenna received $5,000 from her party.

Summit County Democratic Party Chair Rory Swensen said Democrats have an uphill battle in Utah because the state tends to be more conservative.

Swensen estimated the county Democratic Party contributed around $12,000 total to various campaigns in the area, an increase from previous years. They also hired full-time field organizer Jake Morris for the 2024 election, who played a significant role in recruiting volunteers, organizing, and laying the groundwork for the organization. 

Meanwhile, Ioannides felt he faced a challenge in the local election because Summit County politics tend to lean left., and all elected offices are held by Democrats.

The Republican was focused on meeting people where they are at — whether knocking on doors or organizing neighborhood meetings. 

In the weeks leading up to the election, Ioannides gave a stump speech at a country western rendezvous in Highland Estates hosted by supporters. The civic-minded group belonged to various political parties, and found themselves inspired by Ioannides’ history of service and his vision to improve the community.

Anne Bransford, one of the hosts, said she’s known Ioannides for 15 years. She identifies as an independent, but said she’s voting for the Republican because he gives back to the community and doesn’t just “talk the talk, but walks the walk.” 

Both candidates said the most surprising part of the campaign was canvassing. Ioannides and McKenna felt nervous about going door-to-door, but they each said it was the most rewarding.

Ioannides, a tech entrepreneur, utilized software to target specific texts and advertisements to voters. He was able to track who hadn’t voted yet and which residences belonged to registered Republicans or Democrats. Ioannides organized much of his campaign himself, although he enlisted the help of trusty volunteer Jay Deuser.

McKenna said the canvassing experience allowed her to connect with people in a way that restored her faith in the community. Politics can be incredibly divisive, but McKenna also realized many Summit County residents have the same worries and concerns about their homes.

Her campaign manager, Jenny Dorsey, said she supports McKenna because Summit County needs a candidate to help reframe local government. The pair have campaigned at honk-and-wave events as well as Park City’s Howl-o-ween on Main celebration.
That was particularly surreal for McKenna, who had a supporter write and perform a song dedicated to her candidacy.

She was greeted with widespread celebration when the initial results showing her steady lead were released late on election night.

Ioannides on Tuesday night said he felt good regardless. He accepted either outcome the week before the election, and spent the night thanking his supporters for their trust.

Swensen said the county Democratic Party felt positive about the local results that were released as all candidates retained their seats. There was also exceptional voter turnout, likely because of the presidential election.

He felt the local and state Democratic Party made decent progress in building a robust “ground game” in order to grow in 2026. The New York Times reported Utah was one of two states that did not move to the right this election.

“We’re not done. We had some setbacks. … But we’re here,” Swensen said.

The post Weathering the storm: A look inside the campaigns for Seat C appeared first on Park Record.

The Summit County Council is projected to remain all blue, with Democrat Megan McKenna’s anticipated election to Seat C for her first term.

McKenna — a Park City High School graduate, former science teacher and Mountainlands Community Housing Trust housing advocate — was leading ahead of Republican Ari Ioannides based on preliminary election results. 

According to results from the Summit County Clerk’s Office as of Thursday night, the Democrat had received 8,028 votes, or 53%, compared to 7,002 votes, or 47%, cast for the Republican.

Ioannides made a strong showing among eastern Summit County voters, particularly those in Coalville, Francis, Hoytsville and Kamas. However, McKenna was the standout in West Side communities like Old Town, Highland Estates, Park West, Pinebrook and Summit Park.

McKenna on Thursday recognized she held a strong lead over Ioannides, but she wanted to wait to claim victory until the Clerk’s Office finished counting ballots. 

“It will be a privilege and an honor to represent the younger and future generations and the hardworking people of Summit County that deserve a voice,” McKenna said. “I’ve been blown away by the support and encouragement and engagement of the community throughout this process. I’m excited to be able to bring a broader, different perspective”

McKenna’s campaign was rooted in addressing issues such as affordable housing, the workforce and the need for diversity in local government. She aspires to be a voice for the working class and young families.

Her experiences growing up in Park City showed her the connections between those issues as well as how climate, traffic and tourism play a role, too. McKenna is also focused on regional collaboration and responsible growth.

Ioannides called McKenna on Friday afternoon to congratulate her on the win. 

He said the outcome of the election wasn’t what he hoped, but he’s proud of the campaign he ran. His platform was rooted in broadening representation on the County Council and building bipartisan relationships at the federal, state and local levels.

“To everyone who supported, volunteered, or cast their vote for me, thank you for believing in this mission. Your engagement and dedication made this journey meaningful,” Ioannides said. “On a personal note, this journey has gifted me with countless new friendships, strengthened connections, and a deeper appreciation for our community. I am thankful for each person who made this campaign possible and for the unforgettable moments we’ve shared.”

Ioannides said he knew it would be an uphill battle to win the election as a Republican, and he’s disappointed that around one-third of the population will “virtually have no voice.” He speculated taxes would go up, there would be fewer generational homeowners, and more housing would be built on the East Side rather than in the Snyderville Basin.

“Some of these things are going to occur that, you know, I would have worked hard to sort of prevent. So that’s kind of what just makes me a little sad, but it’s the reality. That’s the county we live in right now,” Ioannides said.

He advocated for amending how elections in Summit County are run “because without that change, we’re a lock, and it’ll just be Park City running the county.” Ioannides suggested creating districts such as the Snyderville Basin, North Summit and South Summit, plus two at-large seats to ensure there’s fair representation for each geographic region. 

The County Council is currently made up of five at-large seats with staggered elections. Seats A, B and C were on the ballot this year, while D and E were on the ballot in November 2022.

Seat C is held by County Council Chair Malena Stevens, who did not run for reelection. McKenna will be sworn in sometime in January.

Ioannides, the treasurer of the North Summit Fire Service District and the former executive director of the Park City Institute, now called Park City Performing Arts, didn’t rule out future public service. However, he said he would be very picky about what he chooses to do. He’s passionate about nonprofit organizations and preserving open space.

Election results are not official until certified by the canvass on Nov. 19.

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The Utah Legislature’s Republican majority met in closed caucus meetings Thursday night to elect their next set of legislative leaders — bringing a bit of a shakeup in the Senate but the same set of faces in the House. 

Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, will remain the Senate’s top Republican. But Senate Republicans elected a new slate otherwise, promoting Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, (who this year served as majority assistant whip) to the second-most powerful leadership position as majority leader, a position previously held by Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City. 

Senate Republicans also chose a new majority whip, electing Sen. Chris Wilson, R-Logan, in place of Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden. And to take Cullimore’s previous role as majority assistant whip, the Senate GOP elected Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork. 

In the House, the GOP majority decided to keep the status quo, re-electing House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper; House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, R-Saratoga Springs; House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield; and House Majority Assistant Whip Casey Snider, R-Paradise. 

Schultz told reporters none of the House GOP’s leadership races were contested this year. 

The two leadership teams told reporters in separate media availabilities after their closed caucus elections Tuesday night that they look forward to prioritizing a variety of topics during the Utah Legislature’s 2025 legislation session. 

Those include “becoming more energy independent, strengthening water optimization and development, supporting students and teachers, protecting children from the harms of social media, making life more affordable for Utahns and investing in infrastructure projects to manage Utah’s growth,” Senate Republicans said in a news release. 

The Republican legislative leaders expressed their excitement of working with a future administration under President-elect Donald Trump while also continuing their legal battle through a petition filed with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to wrest 18.5 million acres of “unappropriated” public land away from the Bureau of Land Management. 

Senate leadership changes

Cullimore, McKell and Wilson said they sought their new positions not out of a desire to change Senate policy decisions, but rather for an opportunity to serve in leadership positions. All three expressed respect for their predecessors. 

“There were virtually no policy discussions. This wasn’t about a different policy direction or anything like that,” Cullimore said. “I think generally everybody in the Senate caucus is pretty happy about the direction that the Senate’s been going.” 

McKell echoed the same. “For me it wasn’t about policy. It was just about an opportunity to serve in this capacity,” he said. 

Adams praised the Senate Republican caucus, saying it had to make some hard choices but it came through being “united.” 

“This was a tough leadership election, but I believe we’re more united after the election than we were before,” Adams said. “At least that’s what I felt during the election process.” 

McKell said the only friction that surfaced during these leadership elections was because senators were forced to choose between “two people that you really care about, that you really respect.” 

“That’s where it was difficult for me. I didn’t feel like there was tension. I felt like all of the races top-to-bottom were very respectful, very professional.” 

Wilson said those who ran an unsuccessful leadership bid are “still going to be highly respected members of our caucus” and “very much involved with the direction of policy going forward.” 

Adams, however, said he felt “anxiety” in this leadership election because “I’m going to miss Sen. Vickers and Sen. Millner. So there’s anxiety, and yet we’ve got a great leadership team here.” 

2025 priorities

In the House, Schultz said in coming months House Republicans will be working to “nail down” specific priorities for the 2025 general session that’s slated to begin Jan. 25. He said he expects lawmakers to maintain similar priorities as they’ve focused on in recent years: water (which policies are or aren’t working when it comes to conservation or development) and “working closely with the federal government to make sure Utah remains a sovereign state.” 

Under a future Trump presidency, Schultz said one of the “biggest” policy shifts he expects will be on public land control. The Biden administration, he said, was “closing access to the citizens of this state and closing down recreation opportunities.” 

“That’s probably one of the biggest and most important things I view as a top priority, is making sure our public lands remain public, accessible to everybody, and we’re going to fight hard to make sure that happens,” Schultz said. 

However, a Trump presidency doesn’t mean Utah Republican leaders will pull back on their petition with the U.S. Supreme Court. Schultz said “regardless of the administration, that’s a petition we’re still going to move forward with.” 

Snider said Utah will continue that legal fight to prevent future “yo-yoing” on federal control of public lands depending on who controls the White House. “Long term, for this to be resolved in a way that benefits all interests, we need to have legal certainty,” Snider said, “and the only way to get to that point is through that petition.” 

Adams said one of his top priorities is Utah’s energy independence because, he predicted, it will become increasingly important as artificial intelligence gains prominence. 

“We know that AI is going to control the world … and the country who controls AI is going to control the world, both economically and militarily,” Adams said. “And AI is dependent on data centers. Data centers depend on energy. And the rest of the country, everybody’s looking for energy, around the world.” 

Adams said Utah doesn’t have a “surplus of energy,” so “energy has to be one of our top priorities.”

Utah News Dispatch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news source covering government, policy and the issues most impacting the lives of Utahns. It is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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Proposition 18, a sales tax intended to fund emergency services in Summit County, appears to have passed based on preliminary general election results.

Strong support for the ballot initiative was evident, with around 74%, or 10,885 voters, in favor of the new sales tax as according to the latest results from Thursday. 

“It’s inspiring to see the tremendous support for our first responders! This is a fantastic day for the residents of Summit County and for the dedicated first responders who are always there when we need them, no matter the hour,” Friends of Summit County Search and Rescue said in a Facebook post. “Proposition 18 will very likely pass in a landslide vote!”

The nonprofit organized a campaign arguing for the ballot proposition included in a voter information pamphlet that the county distributed. There wasn’t an argument submitted against it.

Summit County officials said the new sales tax would help offset the impacts of tourism, balancing the 2025 budget by freeing up money for other programs. It was seen as a way to avoid raising property taxes or reducing county services. 

Summit County Manager Shayne Scott and Chief Financial Officer Matt Leavitt projected a $7 million funding gap if the emergency services sales tax failed. Scott previously told the Summit County Council it would be a “heavy lift” to balance the budget if the proposition failed.

The sales tax is equivalent to one penny for every two dollars spent. Gas, groceries, prescription medications and a few other items are exempt.

Leavitt estimated more than 65% of the sales tax would be paid for by nonresidents. Tourists create 40% of the solid waste in the county and are responsible for 50% of fire department calls and 90% of search-and-rescue reports.

County staff saw the 0.5% tax as a way to reduce the impact on local residents and force tourists to pay their fair share. Visitors have an estimated $12 million impact on county services.

About $7 million would be generated through the new emergency services sales tax in 2025. Leavitt said that’s because collections would be for a partial year rather than a full year. Between $15 to $17 million could be generated starting in 2026.

The money will be used to pay for programs such as emergency medical services, search and rescue, law enforcement, fire protection, solid waste collection and the expansion of the Three Mile Landfill.

Around 26% of voters, or 3,914 votes, were against the proposition. 

The largest percentage of “no” votes came from the North Summit area, including Chalk Creek, Coalville, Hoytsville and Wanship as well as near Promontory, Peoa, Francis and the Uintas, according to precinct data.

Ari Ioannides, treasurer of the North Summit Fire District, said North Summit residents were less likely to support the proposition because they saw a more than 300% tax increase in December of 2022. 

The emergency services sales tax would not necessarily improve levels of service but rather allow the money the county already spends on those services to be spent elsewhere in order to cover the budget shortfall.

State law requires Summit County to provide EMS as an essential service through the municipal services fund and establish general criteria for services such as staffing two full-time, advanced EMTs on an ambulance. 

The tax would be in place for 10 years before another election is held. It could go up to 1%, but there would have to be a public vote if officials want to increase it past the half-percent rate.

The County Council said it would not pursue the Truth in Taxation process to raise property taxes if Proposition 18 passed.

The post New Summit County sales tax looks like a winner appeared first on Park Record.

Voter turnout remains high this election cycle in Summit and Wasatch counties as votes continue to roll in through the week.

By Friday morning, Wasatch County had received 18,801 ballots with 92% received by mail — 15,387 ballots of those have been processed and released toward final results, putting turnout at 81%.

By Friday morning, Summit County had received a total of 26,813 ballots with 7,756 still to process as of Thursday at close — 15,851 ballots had been processed and counted toward the latest unofficial results.

In Summit County, there are 29,718 registered voters, putting turnout at 90% with still more to come. 

“We will continue to receive more ballots by mail, but the number will continue to be lower as we get further from the election,” Summit County Clerk Evelyn Furse said.

As of Monday, Summit County had received 19,983 ballots by mail and in-person early voting. With voter registration over 29,000, over two-thirds of Summit County voters chose to vote early this year. 

In Summit County, 610 voters showed up in person to vote by noon Tuesday. Summit County Clerk Evelyn Furse expected low in-person voting numbers overall.

“Usually, we have under 5% that like to vote in person,” said Furse.

By the close of the count on Tuesday, Summit County had received 23,466 ballots with 12,259 processed. In just two full days since, the clerk’s office has both received and processed over 3,000 ballots.

As of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Wasatch County had received over 16,100 ballots, with 4,000 still to process. There are roughly 22,000 active, registered voters in the County, including day of registration. In the days since, Wasatch County had received 2000 additional ballots and processed 3000.

Both Wasatch and Summit County offices are counting ballots at a similar rate, where both have been able to process over 15,000 ballots in this election. The challenge for Summit is the volume they continue to receive, relative to Wasatch County. In the days since the election, Summit County has received almost 10,000 more ballots to process than Wasatch.

“We’re always going to process at least 35% more votes on a presidential election, it’s not surprising, but it is a challenge to plan for,” said Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor Joey D. Granger. 

Voter turnout has consistently exceeded 90% over the past six years in Summit County, and Summit County Clerk Evelyn Furse expected no difference in this presidential election.

“I think it’s entirely possible that we’ll get up to 95%,” said Furse. “The biggest difference this year is just volume. There are so many ballots coming in.”

Appointed county clerk in 2021, this is her first presidential election in office.

Summit County exceeded the national voter turnout average by over 25% in the 2020 general election at 92.4%, when 26,440 ballots were counted out of 26,802 registered voters.  

Since 2018, the United States has experienced an all-time high voter turnout. A record-breaking 66% of eligible voters participated in the 2020 general election, according to the PEW Research Center. 

The Summit County office will continue to process ballots throughout the week until finished. 

“We are starting off the day with the statewide turnout at 53%,” said Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson in an X post Tuesday morning. She said 96% of Utah early voters cast their ballots by mail, with only 37,050 coming in person out of the 952,157 ballots processed. Four years ago, Utah’s early voting turnout was slightly higher at 54.1%. 

While Election Day in-person turnout is unpredictable and can increase ballot counts by hundreds of thousands, Utah had a lot to expect from registered voters this Election Day. 

In 2020, 90.09% of Utah’s active, registered voters cast ballots, higher than any other election in the past 40 years, according to VoteUtah.gov.  

In Wasatch County, 88.8% of registered voters participated in the 2020 general election with 17,919 ballots cast.

Election turnout has been historically high in the neighboring Wasatch Back counties compared to the national average, yet only 33.6% of registered Democrats and 49.56% of registered Republicans in Wasatch participated in the 2024 presidential primary election in June.

In Summit County, 38.7% of registered Democrats and 46.1% of registered Republicans voted in the presidential primary. 

Across the two counties, voter turnout has superseded the national average by almost 30%. With registered voters maintaining an average of over 85% turnout in the past six years, the neighbors help Utah remain at the helm of voter turnout across the country.

The post Election turnout high again in Summit and Wasatch counties appeared first on Park Record.

Democratic candidate in the race for Utah House District 59 Julie Monahan released a statement Wednesday evening conceding to the clear victory of incumbent Mike Kohler.

“While this isn’t the outcome I had hoped for, I’m proud of our campaign. I want to congratulate Representative Kohler on his win,” she said.

The race between Monahan and incumbent Republican Kohler at first showed Monahan in the lead in Summit County, but subsequently falling behind as votes from Wasatch County were posted.

The results as of Friday morning overall showed Monahan with 7,275 votes at 39.37% and Kohler with 11,203 votes at 60.63%. While more votes are still being counted and reported, Monahan said it was clear enough to concede based on Wasatch County numbers, where she only received 32.16% of the votes at 4,726 to Kohler’s 9,971 votes.

Summit County numbers as of Friday showed Monahan winning with 67.42%, or 2,549 votes, to Kohler’s 32.58% or 1,232 votes.

“There’s definitely more votes in Summit County than that, so that will help me, but it won’t be enough to counteract the other county, so I’m calling it done. ‘It’s a wrap,'” Monahan said.

Monahan’s platform focused on local communities, smart government and responsible growth. Her campaign also emphasized her commitment to conservation, especially focused on supporting legislation that would benefit the Great Salt Lake. Her vision for the district balanced economic growth with the preservation of its natural beauty.

This was the first public office Monahan ran for following her 30-plus-year career with IBM. As of now, she said she is unsure whether she will run again in the future.

“That’s something I haven’t yet considered. Normally, that is the path, you usually have to run a few times,” she said. “But, we’ll see.”

Kohler, a longtime Midway resident who’s held office in local government, ran on his usual platform for protecting property rights, keeping taxes low and maintaining the rural lifestyle, and highlighted his record in advocating for policies that benefit rural communities in the district.

“There’s still a lot of votes to count. I think it’s statistically an advantage to me, but it’s it could be different,” Kohler said. “So, assuming we prevail, I’m just going to do what we’ve done before, and I’ve got some bills filed that are going to hopefully make a difference.”

While not public yet, Kohler said these bills would address property taxes in a way to help seniors, possible changes to the election process to make it quicker and work on mechanic’s liens which would ensure payment for subcontractors.

Kohler also said in a previous interview that if reelected, he was excited to continue work on numerous projects like wrapping up the Heber Valley bypass plans, work to bring property taxes down, start preparations for the Winter Olympics’ return in 2034 and engage in conversations around cell phones and A.I. in education settings.

“People know what they’re getting. I don’t think anybody, over the course of the next year, if I win, will be surprised at my votes, because I’ve got a record that shows what I’ll do most cases,” Kohler said.

Monahan said, though disappointed, the outcome was unsurprising given the demographic of District 59, which covers rural parts of Wasatch and Summit counties as well as Heber City, Midway and historic Park City.

Kohler also said the results showed roughly the same breakdown has they have in previous elections.

“I met with a lot of people, and walking neighborhoods and in businesses, and then meets and greets and stuff like that. And in the end, the percentages are about the same. I’m not sure we changed anybody’s mind,” he said with a laugh.

However, Kohler said the presidential election on this year’s ballots inspired more voters in the district, especially women, based on conversations he’d had.

“It’s been an energetic election cycle with the national as visible as it’s been, and certainly Kamala Harris and her impact in the Utah area with women has brought out people that probably wouldn’t vote otherwise or weren’t as excited to vote in other other times,” he said.

Both candidates reiterated the need for active participation in elections like these.

Monahan said, “I encourage each of you to stay engaged and hold our leaders accountable. Our democracy thrives when we are involved and insist on good governance.”

Kohler thanked the people who voted in District 59: “I’m glad we had such a big turnout. That’s important that no matter what side you’re on, we get out and vote. It’s a right that we have and a responsibility we have to get out and have our voices heard.”

The post Democratic candidate concedes race against State Rep. Mike Kohler for Utah House District 59 appeared first on Park Record.