Early voting begins August 1 and continues through August 11 at the County Clerk’s Office for the Primary Municipal and Special Congressional Election August 15. East Carbon voters will narrow the field for mayor and city council members, and voters in Price will pare down the list of candidates for mayor.
Incumbent Mayor Joe Piccolo is running for reelection, and is being challenged by Rick Adams, Rick Davis, Michael Kourianos and Boyd Marsing.
No need for Price primary
The need for a primary election for Price city council was negated by the withdrawal of Leif Nelson from the race. Nelson was appointed July 12 to fill the remainder of the term for Wayne Clausing. That leaves four candidates running for two available seats: one currently held by Kathy Hanna-Smith, who is stepping down after the current term, and another held by Terry Willis, who is running for reelection. But because the ballots have already been printed as approved by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, five names will still appear: Leif Nelson, Jesse Sloan, Amy Knott-Jespersen, Joe Christman, and Terry Willis.
There will be a notice on each voting machine advising that it is not necessary to vote for city council candidates. Those races will be decided in the November General Election.
The municipal elections are non-partisan and any registered voter can cast a ballot, but only registered Republicans can vote in the Special Congressional Election. Voters will need to specify which ballot they need at the polls.
Congressional special
In the Republican Special Primary Election, there are three candidates: Tanner Ainge, John Curtis, and Chris Herrod. The winner will go on to run against Democrat Kathie Allen, Libertarian Joe Buchman, Independent American Jason Christensen, write-in candidate Russell Paul Roesler, and unaffiliated candidate Sean Whalen in the special general election to determine who will fill the seat in Congress vacated by the resignation of Jason Chaffetz.
The resignation resulted in the Governor calling for a special election, but the counties will bear the cost. Carbon County Clerk-Auditor Seth Oveson said the special primary election will cost the county $10,000 to $15,000.
Voting in Price will take place at the Carbon County School District Board Office, 251 West 400 North, and at the Fairgrounds Event Center.
East Carbon
Three candidates are running for the Office of Mayor in the East Carbon municipal primary election, including incumbent Douglas Parsons, and challengers James Smith and Harry Goslin Jr. Voters will choose two city council candidates from a field of six, including Philip Holt, Ronald E. Johnson, Donald L. McCarty III, Ella Morris, and Larry Wood. The top two will be on the ballot in November. East Carbon voters will cast their ballots at City Hall.
There is no municipal primary election in Helper, Wellington, and Scofield, but registered Republicans may vote in the Special Congressional Primary Election.
In the November 7 General Election, Incumbent Helper Mayor Ed Chavez will face a challenge from Lenise Peterman. Two 4-year council members will be chosen from a field of four candidates, including Donna Archuleta, Gary Harwood, Malarie Matsuda, and Tim Riley. Voters in East Helper, West Helper and Spring Glen will cast their ballots at the Helper LDS Stake Center, 150 Ridgeway.
In Wellington Mayor Joan Powell is running unopposed for reelection in November, as is Kirt Tatton for four-year city council. The polling place is Wellington City Hall.
Scofield Mayor Mike Erkkila faces a challenge from Ron Richmond this November, while four candidates have filed for the city council. They are Barbara E. Leek, Scott Holman, Paul Hesten and Scott H. Deem. Voting in the Scofield/Clear Creek and Pleasant Valley precincts is exclusively by mail.