It’s finally Election Day, and that means Utahns are voting at polling places statewide, but only after waiting in long lines.
“I don’t have an appointment until ten o’ clock,” said Charles Graham, a Spanish Fork voter. “I can wait at least until then, but I hope it goes faster than that.”
Early voting produced record-high numbers for the state. One in three registered voters already voted before today even began. However, a lot of people are still showing up today to cast their ballots, making a high overall turnout this year. Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell even predicted that 80% will vote. That’s the highest number in decades.
At Spanish Fork’s Larsen Elementary School, election volunteers had to shuffle the long line of voters into the gym to get them out of the cold, but some say it’s worth it.
“You will have to stand in line a little bit,” said Bryan Thompson, Utah County Clerk Auditor. “It’s just such a minor sacrifice for the special right and responsibility that we have to vote.”
With several close races this year, who decides to show up and vote today could actually end up changing the outcome. Even though the lines may be long, there are hundreds of locations to make voting easier. “You can pretty much count on any local school as being a polling location,” Thompson said.
