District council voting change lowers Summit County primary turnout

Only voters in Summit County’s District 4 and District 5 received county council races on their primary ballots this year, and the shift away from at-large council elections left many residents outside the Snyderville Basin, Jeremy Ranch and Pinebrook districts without a say in the county council primary at all.

House Bill 356, signed into law on March 27, 2025, ended at-large council elections for counties with a council-manager form of government and replaced them with five geographic districts. The county council established a districting commission on May 21, 2025. Summit County’s current council-manager structure had been approved by residents in 2006, after the county previously used a three-member commission system.

Democrats were the only party with contested contests in both races. Registered Democrats in those districts automatically received ballots, while unaffiliated and Republican voters in the same districts had to request one before Election Day. Voters outside the district boundaries were not eligible to vote in the council race.

Interim Clerk Malena Stevens said many voters were confused by the new setup and called the clerk’s office to ask why they could not participate. She said that confusion likely affected turnout, and races decided by 500 to 700 votes are now within the realm of possibility.

The county’s official 2026 primary results show 14,483 registered voters, including 11,001 Republicans and 3,482 Democrats. A total of 4,425 ballots were cast, for an overall turnout of 30.55%. Republicans cast 3,245 ballots and Democrats cast 1,180, a lower level of participation than in the 2024 and 2020 primaries. District 4 drew 606 contest ballots, with Christie Babalis defeating John Kucera 310 to 295. District 5 drew 574 contest ballots, with Canice Harte topping Meredith Reed 294 to 280. The Summit County Clerk’s Office certified the official primary results after the July 7 canvass, and voters with signature or ID problems had until noon on July 6 to submit a curing declaration for their ballot to count.