It likely won’t be an issue in many Davis County communities this fall during municipal elections, but a new study reveals that uncompetitive elections with one candidate winning by margins of 30 percent or more are among the potential causes of Utah’s low voter turnout.
A new research brief from Utah Foundation released on Wednesday looks at that issue and updates previous work in light of recent efforts to reform the electoral landscape. The updated findings of the research brief include:
• Utah’s 2016 voter participation was 39th in the nation, representing a substantial decline over the past 40 years.
• Uncompetitive races are the norm. In 2016, 71 percent of Utah’s state general election races were won by a margin of greater than 30 percent.
• Utah’s electorate is highly polarized, and its party delegates are even more so.
• Reform efforts are underway that could significantly change the dynamics of voting in Utah.
• Straight-ticket voting dipped to 29.5 percent in 2016.
