Immigration Canyon council votes to cancel mayoral race after county printed ballots without candidate

Immigration Canyon — The Immigration Canyon Council on Tuesday adopted Resolution R2025-10 to cancel the town’s 2025 mayoral race after county election staff printed ballots without the lone candidate’s name, leaving the municipality with an invalid ballot.

Council members met in a specially called session to address a printing error the county said resulted from a misunderstanding of earlier communications. Cameron, a council staff member, told the meeting that ballots were sent to the printer on Sept. 12 without the candidate’s name after the county concluded the municipality intended to remove the race. "The ballots went to the printer on September 12 without David's name on the ballot," Cameron said, and the council was left with two options: cancel the mayoral race or reprint and finish the election at additional cost.

Cameron summarized state election rules and the budget choice facing the council. "If there's only one candidate under Utah law, they're the only person that can take that office," Cameron said, adding the county estimated the municipality’s election costs at between $2,500 and $11,000 and that canceling could save roughly half — about $2,500 to $5,000.

During public comment, a resident who identified themself as Emerson of 5655 Immigration Canyon Road urged the council to keep the race on the ballot on principle: "It's important for us to recognize our public servants and us as constituents to have the opportunity to see them on a ballot, to vote for them on a ballot," Emerson said, calling the right to vote "a matter of principle."

Council members debated the tradeoff between preserving a formal vote and conserving limited municipal funds. One council member argued against spending money on an uncontested race: "I don't see us spending that money on something that's already a foregone conclusion," the councilor said, urging fiscal prudence. Other members said they regretted that outreach had failed to produce additional candidates and that the situation highlighted a need for clearer communication and earlier public notice.

After brief discussion, Unidentified Speaker 1 moved to adopt Resolution R2025-10 to cancel the mayoral race; the motion was seconded. Members called the vote and a series of 'aye' responses followed (the roll call included explicit 'Hawks, aye' and 'Harris, aye'); the presiding member declared the motion adopted.

The council did not reprint ballots or attempt to run a local election; they concluded the outcome would not change under state law and chose to avoid the added cost and logistical hurdles. The meeting adjourned immediately following the vote.

Next steps: the council and staff said they will coordinate with county election officials to document the cancellation and assess internal communication and timeline improvements to prevent similar incidents in future elections.