The candidate filing window for the 2026 general election closed on Thursday, ushering in another year of political campaigns for county and school board positions along the Wasatch Back.
In Summit County, key races appearing on the ballot include the county auditor, sheriff, attorney, clerk and two County Council seats. Two openings for each school board within the county — Park City, North Summit and South Summit — will also be decided by voters in November.
This is the first year County Council candidates are restricted to a district rather than competing for an at-large position. Specifically, the two seats on the 2026 ballot are District 4, which encompasses the Snyderville Basin, and District 5, which includes the Jeremy Ranch and Pinebrook areas.
Chris Robinson, who currently represents District 4 and has served on the County Council for almost two decades, did not file for reelection. Christie Babalis, a local attorney, and John Kucera, who previously chaired the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, filed to run for the District 4 seat in Robinson’s place. They are both Democrats.
County Councilor Canice Harte, who represents District 5, is running for reelection, though. He will face off against challenger Meredith Reed, a local real estate agent who currently serves as the president of the Park City Board of Education. As with the race in District 4, both Harte and Reed are running as Democrats.
The local Democratic Party will hold a caucus this spring to determine whether one of the Democratic candidates in each race has the majority support from caucus voters. If so, then only one candidate will advance to the November ballot. If the caucus is unable to come to a consensus, then a traditional primary election will be held to narrow the playing field.
County Auditor Cindy Keyes and County Attorney Margaret Olson are also running for reelection in 2026. They are running unopposed.
Sheriff Kacey Bates is running for election to retain her position, too. Bates was selected by the local Democratic Party to replace former Sheriff Frank Smith, who retired at the end of 2025. At the time of her nomination, she said she intended to run to secure the sheriff’s seat for another four years in the 2026 election. No one filed to run against her.
The Summit County Clerk’s Office, which handles business licensing and administers elections, will see a change in 2026, no matter the election’s outcome. Eve Furse, who has served as the clerk since 2021, plans to retire after her term ends this year.
Two candidates with experience in local politics — Malena Stevens and Suni Woolstenhulme — filed to run in her place. Stevens, a Democrat, previously sat on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission and County Council. Woolstenhulme, a Republican, was a member of the South Summit school board for eight years. Voters will pick between the two candidates on the general election ballot in November.
Unlike the other Summit County races, the school board elections are nonpartisan.
In South Summit, Matthew Weller filed to run for the District 4 seat and Ty Metcalf filed for the District 5 seat.
Meanwhile, Kevin Orgill filed to run for reelection in North Summit’s District 4. He will face challenger Rene Potter. Three people — Russell Hendry, Eric Cylvick and Kari Koyle — are competing for the District 5 position.
Park City Board of Education Vice President Nick Hill filed for reelection to continue representing District 5, while Denise Andrews filed to run for the District 4 seat currently held by Reed.
There will also be federal and state elections in addition to local elections on the November ballot.
In state Senate District 20, Sen. Ronald Winterton filed to run for reelection. He is a Republican who has represented the district since 2023, and he previously served District 26 before the state’s redistricting process in 2019. He is challenged by Annette McRae of the Forward Party.
Incumbent Tiara Auxier, a Republican, is running for reelection to represent state House District 4. She is challenged by Democrat and former Oakley mayor Zane Woolstenhulme, as well as Zeppelin Zeerip, Kris Campbell and Brandi Connolly.
Zeerip also filed as a Democrat, while Campbell and Connolly are running as Republicans.
Hoang Nguyen is similarly angling for reelection in state House District 23. Nguyen is a Democrat, and she largely represents the eastern side of the Salt Lake Valley. However, a minority of voters in the Kimball Junction area fall into Senate House District 23 as well. She is running unopposed.
In state House District 59, three Republicans have filed for a chance at the seat — Luke Searle, Mark Allen and Jeffrey Pierce. Searle is a Wasatch County Councilor whose term began in 2023.
Micah Kagan is also running for the House District 59 seat as a Democrat.
As for House District 68, Scott Chew filed to run as a Republican and will be facing off against Constitution Party candidate Sonya Ray.
Jennie Earl is running as a Republican for the Utah State School Board of Education to represent District 1 without opposition.
Federally, there will only be one open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives’ third congressional district. However, those candidates have a separate deadline from state and local elections and will not officially declare their intent to run until March, according to the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
Two Utah Supreme Court judges, six court of appeals judges, four district court judges and four juvenile court judges will also stand for a retention election.