Turnout high in Utah County

VINEYARD — A whopping 81 percent of voters turned out Tuesday to cast their vote for City Council candidates in the small town of Vineyard.

With 59 registered voters, that meant 41 people showed up at polls.

"Even though some people were out of town, we were really excited about the turnout," said Vineyard City Recorder Barbara Davies.

High voter turnouts dotted Utah County elections, which only had city council positions up for grabs. The atypical showings surprised city officials and candidates alike, who have grown accustomed to voter apathy.

Cities like Spanish Fork saw record numbers of people casting their vote for city council candidates — many of whom faced disqualification last week when they failed to file financial disclosure forms.

"I estimate the turnout will be in the high 30 percent range or maybe even 40 percent," Spanish Fork City Recorder Kent Clark said. "It will be a real high turnout, more than the primary."

In the past two general elections, turnout ranged between 27 percent and 32 percent of registered Spanish Fork voters. The primary saw 21 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

In Santaquin, voter turnout reached 38 percent. In Salem, 33 percent. In Lindon, the number hovered around 30 percent. Only in a few cities, like Vineyard, did turnout exceed 50 percent — though few city officials were complaining.

"We'll be real happy with that (30 percent) in an off-year election," explained Lindon City Recorder Ott Dameron.

According to Provo voter Patrick Wyman, the low turnout stems from public disinterest in local politics, which often deal with minor issues rather than controversial legislation.

"There's not a lot to vote for. There's only a couple of people to vote for," Wyman said. "I think the general attitude has been a little lax. I'm hoping people will come out to fulfill their responsibilities."

Of course there were some parts of the county that didn't have high vote counts.

Count Orem among those.

"In municipal elections, turnout is traditionally low," said Orem City Recorder Donna Weaver. "We didn't have a primary to get people thinking about it and looking at candidates. We didn't have the signs up as long."

Those factors, Weaver said, contributed to Orem's lower voter turnout — a mere 10 percent.

Even if local issues heated up, Weaver said, Orem politics would need major publicity to increase voter turnout.

"All the press is about Salt Lake," she said.

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E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com