1 / 3

A man submits his ballot at the Utah County Administration Building on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

2 / 3

A person submits their ballot at the Utah County Administration Building on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

3 / 3

A ballot box at the Utah County Administration Building is shown Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Early voting data from the Utah County Clerk offered insight into participation rates for different communities ahead of Tuesday’s Municipal General Election.

Through Friday — the latest available polling data before Monday’s print deadline — there was a 14.6% turnout rate for active voters in Utah County, with 50,729 ballots counted out of 347,484 active voters.

The county’s largest cities, Provo and Orem, were both ahead of the county average. Orem had 8,744 counted ballots out of 45,694 active voters, for a 19.1% turnout rate, as voters decide between incumbent David Young and former Community Action CEO Karen McCandless in the mayoral race and vote on three open City Council seats and school board positions.

In Provo, where incumbent Michelle Kaufusi faces former state Rep. Marsha Judkins in the mayoral race, 7,934 out of 44,203 active voters had turned in their ballots for a 17.9% turnout.

Early turnout rates through Friday were notably lower in the northern part of the county, despite school board elections for newly formed school districts. In Lehi, where Paige Albrecht and Paul Binns are competing for a vacant mayor spot after Mark Johnson chose not to seek reelection, 5,458 out of 44,226 ballots had been counted for a 12.3% turnout rate.

In Eagle Mountain, 2,178 ballots were submitted out of 27,218 active voters — a county-low 8% turnout — and Saratoga Springs was not far ahead, with 3,254 counted ballots out of 23,825 active voters for an 8.3% turnout rate.

Of other municipalities voting on school board seats for the Alpine School District split, American Fork had an 11.9% turnout rate, Pleasant Grove was at 12.7%, Highland was at 12.6%, Lindon was at 15.6%, Vineyard was at 15.4%, Cedar Hills was at 14%, Fairfield was at 18.2%, and Cedar Fort was at 14.5%.

Smaller cities in the south led the pack in voter turnout going into November, as newly incorporated Spring Lake, which will form its first government, saw 116 votes out of 391 active voters for a 29.7% participation rate. Also breaking the 20% threshold were Mapleton (25.4%) and Woodland Hills (23.4%).

Among the larger southern cities, Spanish Fork had a 13.7% turnout rate, Springville was at 14.9% and Payson was at 12.7%.

County Clerk Aaron Davidson said last week that municipal elections traditionally have lower voter turnout than state and national races because of lower press coverage and less campaign spending on advertising.

“You don’t get inundated with the mailings and ads on media, so it just doesn’t elicit as big of a response, even though I feel like it’s a more important race because it’s the people that control local issues, but it just doesn’t seem to attract as much attention,” Davidson said.

Christopher Collard, a senior analyst at Utah Foundation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, said Utah County turnout for municipal elections has trended downward in recent years.

According to Collard, voter turnout among eligible voters — not active voters — in the county was 16% in 2017 and 2019, 15% in 2021 and 14% in 2023. Among registered Utah County voters, there was a 26.94% turnout rate in 2023, compared to an 83.76% turnout rate in the 2024 general election.

Among the county’s three largest cities, Collard said Orem’s turnout has been above the county average and was at 18% of eligible voters in 2023. Lehi, however, fell from 15% in 2021 to 10% in 2023, and Provo has consistently seen turnout between 9% and 11%.

For those who choose to vote in person Tuesday, there will be 10 in-person voting locations throughout the county operated by county officials: American Fork Library, Eagle Mountain Overland Barn, Highland City Offices, Lehi Public Safety Building, Orem CenterPoint Church, Payson City Hall, Pleasant Grove Public Safety Building, Provo Health and Justice Building, Spanish Fork Library, and Vineyard City Hall.