County approves new interlocal agreement for future elections

MANTI—The Sanpete County Commission signed off on April 21 on a new interlocal agreement with county cities for the 2027 municipal election cycle.

County Clerk Linda Christiansen presented a proposed 2027 interlocal cooperation agreement between Sanpete County and the county’s cities for municipal elections.

The meeting agenda listed the item as a discussion and potential approval of the 2027 agreement “between Sanpete County (on behalf of the Sanpete County Clerk’s Office) and the cities in regard to the municipal election.”

Christiansen told commissioners the existing election agreement covered the 2023 and 2025 election years and needed to be replaced. She said the biggest change in the new agreement was cost.

“Just like everything else, costs go up,” Christiansen said. She added that the first municipal election affected under the new agreement would not come until August 2027, giving cities time to plan for the budget impact.

The agreement states Sanpete County would provide election services for cities for the 2027 primary and general municipal elections. The agreement would begin when executed and would terminate Jan. 1, 2028, unless the parties agree in writing to extend it. Either party could cancel the agreement with 90 days’ written notice.

The agreement also spells out that the municipal elections remain city elections. Under the document, cities are responsible for complying with legal requirements and directing how their elections are conducted. The county agrees to work with each city and conduct the election under the city’s direction, but the city, not the county, remains responsible for resolving election questions, problems, and legal issues within the city’s statutory authority.

The cost estimate is based on the number of participating jurisdictions sharing an election. The estimate lists $4 per active registered voter when one jurisdiction participates, $2 per voter when two jurisdictions participate and $1.33 per voter when three jurisdictions participate. Each rate also includes an additional 5 cents per voter.

The agreement also says cities may have to pay additional costs if a recount, election system audit, election contest, or similar event arises from a city election. It further states that new or amended federal, state, or local laws, regulations, equipment needs, or new election processes could create additional costs beyond the original estimate.

Christiansen also said the updated agreement more clearly spells out the role of city recorders in the election process.

“Without them, we could not do what we do,” she said, adding that the county relies heavily on city recorders for security, transparency, and coordination even though the county provides equipment and polling locations.

“It really is their election. The only thing we do is provide the equipment and the polling locations and things like that,” she said.

The scope of work attached to the agreement says cities are responsible for appointing and supporting their city recorder’s participation in annual election-related trainings. Those trainings include, but are not limited to, poll worker training, signature verification, ballot processing and reconciliation, post-election auditing procedures, and other election administration training.

The agreement says city recorders may assist as poll workers in municipal and county elections as needed to maintain certification, proficiency and familiarity with current election procedures and statutory requirements. It also assigns cities responsibility for candidate filing requirements, public notices, financial disclosure reporting, and other administrative functions tied to municipal elections.

Under the scope of work, the county would perform services including ballot layout and design, ballot mailing, ballot printing, polling location workers, electronic voter center poll workers, ballot processing, ballot counting, recounts as needed, equipment delivery and supply, election-day administration support, poll worker recruitment and training, certified staffing, printing ballots, programming equipment, provisional ballot verification, tabulation and reporting results on the county website.

The agreement also says the county will maintain and keep control over all election records created under the agreement and respond to public records requests related to the agreement and the underlying elections. The county is required to retain election records in line with the Government Records Access and Management Act and other applicable laws.

The clerk also used the discussion to brief commissioners on planning tied to Utah’s shift away from universal vote-by-mail under HB 300. Christiansen said fewer than 1% of county voters currently choose to vote in person, but the county is preparing for future changes.
“In 2029, we have to implement the new laws that now we’re not a vote by mail state, we’re a vote by choice,” she said.

That change also prompted discussion about polling locations. Christiansen said the county had already implemented a polling location in Mt. Pleasant to better serve northern voters and was looking at the possibility of adding another in Gunnison for a future presidential election to reduce pressure on the courthouse in Manti. She told commissioners that effort would require more coordination and trained poll workers before it could move forward.

The agreement’s core vote center exhibit lists three 2027 locations: the Sanpete County Courthouse, Mt. Pleasant Senior Center, and Gunnison City Hall. It notes that voting centers may change under state law and at the decision of the county. The same exhibit says additional polling locations may be established by consent of both the city and county, with the cost borne by the city, and that the county does not guarantee all voting centers will be used in a primary election.

Commissioners approved the election agreement after Christiansen said she planned to take it to cities over the next several months so local officials and attorneys would have time to review it and suggest changes if needed. She described the April 21 vote as a way to “get the ball rolling.”