Weber County voting proceeding smoothly, local turnout could near 60 percent
Voters head to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at the Weber County library in Ogden.
Voters head to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at the Weber County Library in Ogden.
Voters head to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at the Weber County Library in Ogden.
OGDEN — In-person voting in Weber County is proceeding without any major problems as of Tuesday afternoon and overall turnout could reach 60 percent.
Weber County Clerk-Auditor Ricky Hatch said there had been an apparent faulty printer at the polling place at the main library in Ogden, slowing things. Officials were trying to remedy the situation, he said, and there was a backup printer to print ballots.
In general, though, there weren’t major technical glitches to contend with and most Weber County voters on Tuesday didn’t face excessive waits to cast ballots. “We haven’t had reports of long lines anywhere,” Hatch said.
Most in Utah mail in their ballots and have done so already, but some still vote in person on Election Day. Six polling places are set up in Weber County to accommodate them, at the five Weber County Library System libraries in Ogden, North Ogden, Roy, Washington Terrace and Huntsville, and at the Weber County Fairgrounds Exhibit/Rec Hall. Polls opened Tuesday at 7 a.m. and they’ll close at 8 p.m.
“It’s actually gone very well,” Hatch said.
Some voters who have moved or have other discrepancies in their voter paperwork have had to fill out provisional ballots, typical each cycle, and that can take longer to complete. Moreover, he received a call from a resident concerned about the lack of Spanish-speaking poll workers to assist Latino voters, but said a Spanish speaker is available at the clerk-auditor’s office to assist by phone if need be.
Hatch said voter turnout in Weber County could approach 60 percent. That’s higher than in past two mid-term elections, 39 percent in 2014 and 47 percent in 2010.
Local officials had already processed 51,596 ballots as of around 10 a.m. Tuesday, representing turnout of 50.2 percent of the 102,860 active voters in Weber County, according to state election officials. On top of that, Hatch expects 2,000 to 5,000 more mail-in ballots and around 4,000 in-person ballots in voting on Tuesday.
The first batch of results from Weber County should be released by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night and Hatch hopes most local ballots are counted by 10 a.m. Still, more mail-in ballots, which must be post-marked by Nov. 5, will trickle in after Tuesday and be added to the election night totals.
The 1st District U.S. House race, several Utah House contests, an $87 million Ogden School District bond question and more are on the ballot in Weber County.