Because 12 candidates filed to run for office in Centerville, and 10 candidates filed to run in Layton, both Davis cities will be required to host an Aug. 11 municipal primary at a cost of thousands of dollars to the taxpayer, whether those taxpayers take the time to vote or not. “We budgeted right at $50,000 for both (the primary and general election) and you can pretty well split (the cost between the two elections),” Layton City Recorder Thieda Wellman said. “The biggest portion of that goes to (Davis) county,” Wellman said. Davis County will be serving as the administrator for the municipal elections in the various cities. Some cities will be utilizing a vote-by-mail process, while others will remain with a more traditional ballot election.
According to county officials, nine of 15 Davis cities will host a Aug. 11 municipal primary. Farmington will spend about $8,500 on the primary election to eliminate one candidate from its ballot, as it trims its field from seven to six candidates in preparation of the Nov. 3 general election, City Recorder Holly Gadd said. “It is really about the same (cost) for a primary than it is for a general election,” Gadd said.
“We would like to see more people come out for the primary,” Gadd said, hoping voters will turn out in taking advantage of the city’s first-time vote-by-mail process.
Full Article: The price to perform a primary election.