Municipal Primaries Tuesday

Cities throughout the state of Utah are holding primary elections for mayor and city council Tuesday. Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Herriman, Holladay, Murray, Riverton, Salt Lake City, South Jordan, South Salt Lake, West Jordan and West Valley City will all select candidates for mayor, city council or both to run in the Nov. 3 general election. In Salt Lake City, six candidates are running for the Avenues/Capitol Hill council seat vacated by Eric Jergensen.

In 2007, the last off-year municipal primary election, voter turnout in SL County averaged only 18.5 percent. Turnout could be even smaller this year, because in 2007 there was a hotly contested Salt Lake mayor's race.

In the time I've spent covering city government as a reporter, I've realized that mayors and city council members have a lot of influence over the life of a community. They oversee fire departments, police departments and garbage pickup. They build parks and trails, and they approve or disapprove development. They control millions of taxpayer dollars.

It's a mistake for voters to let their city officials be chosen for them by a self-selected minority. Low voter participation leads to political extremism and political corruption. Take the time to vote in your city's primary on Tuesday.

Get details on polling places and new voter ID requirements.