Residents from all areas of Provo are heading to their nearest ballot drop box to cast their vote in the 2021 Provo Municipal Election.
The race for mayor and three City Council seats will conclude on Election Day, Nov. 2.
Regular voter Kathy Hindmarsh has lived in Provo for 42 years, all in the same house. She shared that her major concern involves the development of apartments and Provo’s overall growth. To Hindmarsh, voting is how she keeps up with politics.
“Voting helps me make sure that everything goes my way,” Hindmarsh said. Rather than mailing her ballot, she prefers to walk to the Utah County Administration Building to guarantee its delivery.
Registered voters who have not already received their ballot have until 8 p.m. to vote on Election Day. Residents can visit Provo’s vote center and deliver their filled out ballots to a curbside ballot drop box.
Another long-time Provo resident, Debby Honeycutt, also decided to hand-deliver her ballot. She was motivated to vote because she wants to see current mayor Michelle Kaufusi remain in office.
Honeycutt spoke of her satisfaction with the recent changes in Provo, saying, “This is a country that asks for your opinion. If you don’t voice your opinion, you have no right to complain.”
One resident dropping off his ballot is campaigning as well as voting. Tom Sitake, write-in candidate for Provo City Council and father of BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, moved from Hawaii to Provo in December 1982 and has been a proud resident ever since. He said he has a lot of confidence in the people of Provo and that their vote can help keep the city “on the right track.”
“We need jobs and we need to support our local businesses in Provo, and people should go and vote. If they don’t vote, they don’t help,” Sitake said.
One voter, Pete Drews, has lived in Provo for 11 years. He said he has full confidence in the voting system and believes that Provo City is doing a good job keeping up with growth.
If you want to see something change, you got to make your voice heard,” he said.
Dana Barney has lived in Provo for 50 years and votes in every election. She arrived to drop off all of her household’s ballots at the drop box.
“Register and be sure you vote for the local things. Don’t just register to only vote for the president because your local government has more control over your life than the president does,” Barney said. “These council-people are the ones who make the decisions that affect you personally.”
