Mayoral, city council and school board seats for three emerging school districts are up for grabs in November.

More than 150 candidates declared their candidacies last month.

The magnitude of candidates has sparked a hefty competition in cities across the county, like Eagle Mountain, Lehi, Provo, Mapleton and Spanish Fork with highly contested mayoral races so far.

The aforementioned cities, along with others such as Orem, Payson, Saratoga Springs and newly incorporated city Spring Lake, all have a bevy of candidates aiming for a seat on the city councils.

All, including a majority of new school board seats, are eligible for primary election races, to be held on Aug. 12. 

The main purpose of a primary election for municipal and school board elections is to narrow down the field of candidates before the general election.

Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson said a large percentage of registered voters in the county will get a primary election ballot.

“89% of the voters in Utah County are going to be getting the ballot, whereas in the other counties, that percentage will not be nearly as high,” he told the Daily Herald on Monday afternoon.

Ballots are expected to be mailed out starting Tuesday.

Davidson said voters in cities where municipal and school board seats call for a primary should start receiving them as early as Wednesday.

However, with Pioneer Day on Thursday, he said some deliveries may be delayed.

“It just depends on how fast that post office turns them around,” Davidson said. “So they can expect them between Wednesday and Friday.”

Residents are encouraged to return their ballot early by mailing it to the Utah County Elections Division at 100 E. Center Street, Suite 3100, Provo, UT 84606 or by dropping it in an official drop box before Aug. 12.

A full list drop box locations can be found at vote.utahcounty.gov/voting-locations. 

The county has implemented a new rule for 2025, stating that all ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Having a postmark before Election Day will not suffice and any late arriving ballots will not be counted.

Early in-person voting for the primary election will take place at the Utah County Elections Office Aug. 4-8, and Aug. 11.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each weekday.

Residents can check the status of their voter registration at vote.utah.gov. 

A full list of municipal and school board seats as well as the current candidates are listed at vote.utahcounty.gov/candidate-records.