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Today will bring a large Western States Primary that may produce some frontrunners in the national presidential election, and it may also empower Utah voters.
Utah has already received some extra attention for the election because its primary is sooner than in past elections, and there is no clear frontrunner from either party. Joe Demma, the Lt. Governor's chief of staff, said the presidential race has brought Utah into the national spotlight for the first time.
"We're right in the middle of it all, and happy to be there, I can tell you," he said.
Both the Democratic and Republican nominations are still up for grabs, which makes Utah's delegates much more important to the candidates. The Democrats have 23 delegates and six super delegates at stake, while the Republicans are competing for 36. In the past, Demma said Utah's primary was later, so the results of its election was not as important.
In 2000, when Utah's primary was held on March 10, Demma said George W. Bush visited Utah, but only long after his nomination was secure. The candidates' interest in the state this year is unprecedented.
"They certainly don't come here," Demma said. "They certainly don't put money into TV like they're doing now."
Demma said the state has now been cast into the national spotlight, and candidates have an increased awareness of issues in the region. For the first time, people in other states will be concerned with the voting results in Utah.
Although the primary results will have a wider effect, Demma said voter turnout has not increased so far. Only 50,000 people voted early throughout the state, out of a possible 1.5 million. That number is not much different from previous elections, and even a little lower, though Demma said the number may be a result of the changing election.
Several candidates have dropped out of the race in the last month, including Rudy Giuliani, John Edwards and Fred Thompson.
"If you're an undecided voter, you're probably going to wait around and see who's going to be alive Feb. 5," he said.
Bryan Thompson, Utah County clerk/auditor, said he is expecting a higher voter turnout for the presidential primaries. The primaries in 2000 had only a 10 percent turnout, but Thompson said he is expecting at least twice that amount this time around.
"We're planning on about a 35 to 45 percent voter turnout, which would be close to what we had for the municipal election in November," he said.
Many voters participated in the November elections because of the statewide referendum vote on school vouchers, and Thompson said the presidential race has garnered extra interest as well. Thompson said there has been a lot of passion in Utah County for different candidates, and a good number of residents will likely take time to vote.
For those who do not know their polling location, it will be hard to make an excuse not to vote.
A new feature on the state elections Web site, Demma said, is the "Find Your Polling Place" option. A voter can click on this option at elections.utah.gov and find his or her polling location by filling out basic information.
Sandy Hoffmann, elections coordinator for Utah County, said most voters will be able to participate today as long as they registered on or before Jan. 29. Although the deadline for absentee registration has passed, those who are registered at Utah location outside of Utah County can still vote at a local precinct.
Utah County is now on a statewide registration database, so any registration in the state can be verified. These votes will simply need to be verified before they are counted.
In Utah County, Thompson said the polling locations will be slightly different from those used in other elections. There are fewer issues to be decided this year, so the county has scaled the number of locations down to 59 from 107. It costs more than $1,000 to use a polling place, so the county has saved between $35,000 and $50,000 with the move.
"It could backfire, I'll be perfectly honest," he said. "If people are waiting in lines, my name will be mud."
Thompson said the county has hired extra employees to handle any overcrowding, so voters should not have any difficulty.
Although there are fewer locations than there were for municipal elections, Thompson said signs will be up at unused polling places instructing voters where the new location is.
For any questions concerning voting, Thompson encouraged residents to call 801-851-8127 or e-mail him at
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