Candidate filing began Thursday for municipal races in Salt Lake and across Utah.
In Salt Lake County, there are 17 cities and five metro townships — all of which will hold municipal elections this November. Candidates have from now until June 7 to head to their local city hall to file for open seats.
For those in the five newly formed townships of Magna, Kearns, Emigration Canyon, Copperton and White City, candidates can file at the Salt Lake County Clerk’s office, which administers those races.
Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swenson said it may be an off-cycle year, but theses council and mayoral races are just as critical.
“They determine police protection, snow removal, your budgets for your cities, so it’s important for people to get registered to vote...and make sure you cast your ballot,” she said.
Although the townships held elections last year after their formation, some council seats will be up again in order to get those seats into Utah’s odd-year municipal cycle.
This year’s election will be a little trickier, said Swensen, because it will coincide with the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz in the 3rd Congressional District.
Gov. Gary Herbert intentionally set the date to align with municipal races, which means Swensen will be in charge of getting ballots printed with both local candidates and congressional candidates for voters of the 3rd district — about 105,000 people.
“It makes it very interesting, but for the voters it will be quite seamless,” she said. “If the race pertains to them, the partisan primary will appear on the ballot with the nonpartisan offices.”
Swensen said they’re already anticipating a higher turnout as a result of the special election and plan to have early voting as well as up to 50 polling locations for the general election on November 7.
