Hey! Hey, you! There's an election on Tuesday!
It's a primary election and there are two races -- both Republican. That means you either have to be a member of the GOP or be unaffiliated and align yourself with their team at the polls. Democrats, Libertarians, Constitutionalists et al. need not apply. (They'll know your party affiliation at the polls because it's listed in the register book.)
For the 20-30 percent of you who turn out on Tuesday, the county will essentially be making a dry run for the November General Election. All 109 polling locations will be open, as will the full slate of electronic voting machines. It will hopefully mean voters won't face this fall what they've faced for the last few elections, which is long lines, differing polling locations and confusing results.
The county is spending about $90,000 to run the primary election.
On the Ballot - U.S. House District 3:
Incumbent Chris Cannon vs. Jason Chaffetz. Chaffetz says Cannon has forsaken his Republican roots and Cannon says Chaffetz is an opportunist running in the wrong district. Voters in Lehi, Alpine and Highland don't get to vote on this one because they live in the 2nd District, where there is no primary.
On the Ballot - state Treasurer:
Mark Walker vs. Richard Ellis -- Walker is a member of the Utah House who says Ellis is not a true conservative. Ellis says Walker doesn't have the experience and broke state law by offering him a job with a raise if he dropped out of the race. Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert has declined to investigate, saying he doesn't want to impact the election.
By the numbers:
100,000 - The number of registered Republicans
80,000 - The number of unaffiliated voters
36,000 to 60,000 - Expected turnout
109 polling locations throughout Utah County
To find your polling place:
Visit: gva1.utah.gov/elections/polling.aspx
Call: (801) 851-8128
Posted in Local on Sunday, June 22, 2008 11:00 pm
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