Utahns can vote on quarters

It's election season in Utah, and the finalists for one of the most coveted designations include a snowboarder, a railroad spiker and a swarming hive of industrious workers.

Internet voting for the Utah commemorative quarter is now open at www.utah.gov. Visitors to the Web site can view the three final quarter designs, and cast their vote as long as they provide a name and ZIP code.

The three finalists for the quarter design, which will be released in late 2007, are sketches showing a snowboarder in flight, the driving of the Golden Spike, and a beehive, which is the state symbol. The final decision on the quarter will be made in mid-May by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Online voting for quarter designs hit snags earlier this month in Washington, where robot programs were apparently being used to vote multiple times for a design. Washington state officials have since retooled their Web site to prevent abuses, including a limit on the number of votes that can be made by one Internet address.

Utah does not have any similar restrictions on their online survey, although users are required to submit their names. The survey will be open until May 8.