Early turnout dismal for primary election

Voter turnout for today's primary election is extremely poor and could set an all-time record low in Salt Lake County.

"It's very, very low," Sherrie Swensen, Salt Lake County clerk, said of the mid-morning sampling she took Tuesday.

"It's terrible. It's less than 1 percent."

She expects that, even with the early voting and absentee ballots, it will be lucky to reach 6 percent. The all-time record low for primary voter turnout was in 2002 at 6.7 percent.

"This could be an all-time low," she predicted. "I'm hoping things will pick up. ... But it's pretty disappointing."

Swensen initially had hoped for a 7 percent to 10 percent turnout.

She said primary voting has been low ever since the state moved from a fall date to the month of June in 1992. It took another downturn after party affiliation was required in 2002.

Utah County election officials could not be reached for comment on their early election turnout.

Polls close at 8 p.m.