IRON COUNTY –

Municipal elections take place in Cedar City, Parowan and Enoch next Tuesday, and voters will be choosing the cities’ mayors and city councilors who will begin serving in 2010.

For those who would like to avoid the lines, early voting is still available today and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Cedar City offices, the Enoch city offices, and the Iron County Courthouse for Parowan voters.

County Clerk David Yardley said voters in Iron County have used electronic machines since 2006, when the formerly-used punch card system was decertified. The machines are pretty self-explanatory and easy to use, he said.

All voters going to the polls this year should make sure they have their I.D., as a new Utah law this year requires it. Those who have an old address on their I.D. or who do not have a drivers’ license or state I.D. card should visit http://elections.utah.gov for more information on the law.

Yardley said the requirement is to verify that the person voting is the correct person and that they are in the correct precinct.

The communities of Paragonah, Brian Head and Kanarraville will vote by mail-in ballot. Yardley said the return envelopes for Paragonah and Brian Head are addressed back to the county clerk, so his office will tally those votes, but for Kanarraville all ballots will be returned to the town clerk, David Ence.

Kanarraville has two council seats open but only one candidate, KayLynn Carter, so they will have some write-in candidates. Ence said if no one is chosen they will appoint someone for two years. The unopposed mayoral candidate for Kanarraville is Keith I. Williams.

Yardley said the smaller communities vote by mail every year, and last year they had a 90 percent turnout.

Yardley said last year’s county-wide voter turnout was about 80 percent. Despite the low primary election turnout of less than 20 percent, which is pretty typical, he said he is hoping for high general election turnout again this year.