Across the state, counties will spend the next couple of nights assessing and counting the majority of ballots received, and Weber County is no exception.

Weber County Clerk/Auditor Ricky Hatch told the Standard-Examiner in an email Monday that things have run well on their end.

“From our perspective, things are going as smooth as silk,” he said. “We are hearing about some roughness from the campaigning side of things in various races, but the processing of ballots and helping voters is going well.”

He said that returned ballots going into the weekend had exceeded expectations.

“As of the end of day Friday, turnout countywide is at 19.3%, which is a little higher than we expected,” he said. “Ogden Valley City is leading the pack, not surprisingly, with a turnout of 36.3%. Marriott-Slaterville and Huntsville aren’t far behind. I suspect countywide turnout will approach 40%, which is toward the higher end of similar elections in the past.”

Hatch said the majority of votes should be tallied up by Wednesday evening.

“We’ll release unofficial results around 8:30 PM on Election Night,” he said. “This will be the only release of the night. We’ll then release the results for ballots received late on Election Night on Wednesday night or Thursday. That should represent at least 99% of total votes cast. As normal, the official results will be certified two weeks after Election Day. … It depends on how many ballots are turned in late Tuesday evening, but we hope to have over 99% of votes reported by Wednesday evening.”

He reminded the public that simply postmarking ballots by the end of business on Election Day is enough

“The most important thing to know is that the deadline for returning ballots has changed. Ballots must be in a drop box or in the Clerk’s office as of 8 PM on election night — postmarks no longer count,” he said. “You can vote in person on Election Day from 7 AM to 8 PM at the Weber Center (2380 Washington Blvd., in Ogden) or at the Ogden Valley Library in Huntsville.”

Hatch said, ultimately, municipal elections are some of the most crucial for people to participate in.

“Local elections impact our lives more than any other elections – your cities determine your law enforcement, potholes, sidewalks, building permits, pets, and whether you can have chickens in your backyard,” he said. “It’s too bad that turnout this year will be about half of what it was last year. Whether it’s a presidential election or a municipal election, we treat every ballot with the same intense level of care, control, and transparency.”