Utah voter turnout about 36% in 2007

State officials on Monday certified the results of November's special statewide election on vouchers, with the referendum officially failing: 325,279 votes to 198,205 votes.

Voter turnout was about 42 percent among active voters, or people who have voted in at least one of the past two presidential elections. Among all registered voters in the state, turnout was about 36 percent, according to Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.

He said the turnout was higher than most "off" election years, where there is no presidential contest, or when a limited number of statewide offices are up for grabs.

"We feel good in comparison," Herbert said during a brief meeting of the state board of canvassers. "But we can still do better as a state in getting a larger number of voters to participate."

Of Utah's 29 counties, seven had turnout higher than 50 percent. Uintah County had the lowest voter turnout at 25 percent, while Piute County had the highest turnout, with 59 percent of active voters casting ballots.

Herbert noted one error in the balloting process, with Wayne County mistakenly omitting a State School Board race from the ballot. He said the mistake cannot be challenged, however, because the total number of registered voters in the county is less than the difference between the winner and loser in that race.