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Genola council approves county-run 2025 election, declines ranked‑choice voting
Summary
The Genola Town Council voted to have Utah County administer the town's 2025 municipal election and later rejected participation in a statewide ranked‑choice voting program after public comments and council debate.
The Genola Town Council voted to authorize Utah County to administer Genola's 2025 municipal election and, in a separate vote, declined to participate in the state's ranked‑choice voting program.
The council approved an interlocal agreement (Agreement 2025‑02) by adopting Resolution 2025‑05, authorizing Utah County to run the town's municipal election. Council discussion said the interlocal agreement establishes fees and contains a cap on county charges. Mayor Grant Lundberg and council members said the town has used the county for multiple recent elections; no major objections to the agreement were raised before the motion passed.
The vote on whether Genola would participate in the state's ranked‑choice voting program followed public comment and council discussion. Two residents who used the public forum urged the council not to adopt ranked‑choice voting: Renee Gein said the system is “confusing and chaotic” and urged the council to vote against it; another speaker, identified in the record as Corinne, handed council members a printed list of perceived drawbacks and said ranked‑choice voting “takes the residents' voices away.”
Council members debated cost, clarity and local uptake among other Utah municipalities. One council member said ranked choice can reduce the need for additional voting rounds and therefore lower costs, while others said the system diminishes clarity for voters and noted relatively few Utah towns use it. After discussion, the council voted not to approve Resolution 2025‑06, the measure authorizing participation in the ranked‑choice program.
Council members also discussed related election administration items. The council briefly reviewed an optional early‑voting program ("fast cast") and declined to take further action; council members said the requirement would impose training and logistical burdens and that the town can already provide early voting in person the way it traditionally has.
What this means: Utah County will administer Genola's 2025 municipal election under the interlocal agreement approved by the council. Genola will not participate in the statewide ranked‑choice voting program for the 2025 municipal election.
