Goshen's blank ballots are the talk of the town, but no one has decided to throw their hats in the ring -- at least not publicly.

More than a week after the deadline to declare candidacy passed, Goshen is still waiting for someone to show an interest in running for Town Council. Outgoing Councilman Rex Kay said he talked to several people over the weekend who said they are thinking about making a run, but so far no one has made their intentions public.

"We had our community celebration just this weekend and I talked to several and they said they were considering now," Kay said.

Others, such as Mayor Dorothy Sprague and Steve Staheli, the other outgoing council member, have not heard of anyone who is planning to run or actively campaigning as a write-in candidate.

"I haven't heard much of any interest going on," Staheli said.

While Goshen's municipal elections in 2005 were marked by an abundance of candidates taking stands on divisive issues that the voters followed intently, the 2007 sequel is shaping up to be a polar opposite. Last Monday was the deadline to file for candidacy for the November elections, a deadline that came and went without anyone signing up to get their names on the ballot.

For most municipalities in Utah, write-in candidates must file to run. But because Goshen has fewer than 1,000 people and is classified as a town, write-in candidates don't have to file with anyone. That means that a would-be council member might be able to take one of the two council seats up for election with a small handful of votes. Just spreading the word that he or she is interested could be enough.

"I'm sure somebody will get voted in, even if they just got two write-ins. And then it probably depends on if they accept it or not," Staheli said.

If the winning write-in candidate were uninterested in the job, the council would have to appoint someone to fill the vacancies. Sprague said it could come to that.

"We'll just have to wait and see until after the election," she said.

However, Kay is confident that the Town Council will not have to fill the seats by appointment.

"I think there will be a few that will sign up, at least pass word around that they're running for the position," he said.

Kay, who was elected to a two-year term in 2005, said he hasn't ruled out campaigning to keep his seat on the council either. And even if he doesn't run, there's always the chance that people could cast enough votes to elect him as an unannounced write-in candidate. He also said some of the candidates from the contentious 2005 election could get into the race.

"If the people wanted me back in there I'm sure that I would do it," he said.

Staheli wasn't so sure if he would do the same. "I don't know. Right now it's hard for me to say," he said.

Apathy toward running for office appears to be high, but Kay does not think it will extend to people's enthusiasm for voting. He does not believe Goshen will see a lower-than-usual voter turnout because of the lack of candidates.

"Goshen had a really good reputation as far as voter turnout," he said.

He's not the only one who feels that way. Goshen resident Sue Ann Okelberry said the situation won't keep her away from the ballot box.

"[Goshen is] growing like everyone else and there's decisions that have got to be made. So I think probably we've all got to ... vote whether we want to or not," she said. "I know I've got to vote and be involved. I don't want to run for office, don't want to be that involved, but I do need to get involved and at least know what's going on."

But if no one announces their candidacy by election day, Staheli expects the polling places to be emptier than usual.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.