CEDAR CITY – With Utah’s record-low voter turnout, a Governor’s Commission focused on “Strengthening Utah’s Democracy” met Friday afternoon to discuss the problem in an open-to-the-public assembly at the Sharwan Smith Center on the SUU campus.

While Utah has a history of strong-minded and self-assertive civic involvement, in the 2006 elections Utah ranked dead last in the country for voter turnout and was nearly the lowest in 2008. This declining trend spreads well over the past two decades with no sign of slowing in the near future. Since 2004 Utah’s voter participation has dropped 5.1 points, more than any other state in America.

In light of this growing concern, Gov. Jon Huntsman has appointed a commission to travel throughout the state to hear public opinion on the matter and to gain a deeper understanding of the problem in order to find a real solution. On Friday, the commission met in Cedar City with a handful of citizens in attendance.

They went over some of the causes that are most commonly discussed among Utahans, one of which being that Utah is the youngest state, having the highest number of young voters, a demographic well known for its lack of electoral participation.

“But Utah has always been this way, even when it had strong voter turnout” said Commissioner Dan Jones. “It really comes down to the lack of competition.”

Many argue that competitiveness is what really gets voters out. The example is drawn that even if you’re cheering for the winning team, you’re more likely to get involved in the excitement if it’s going to be a close game. When the winner is a foregone conclusion, fewer people are interested in investing themselves.

“I don’t think these are the reasons,” said Kirk L. Jowers, commission chair. “I’m more concerned with Utah’s laws regarding ethics, campaign finance, redistricting, lobbying, and elections.”

These are the areas the commission is particularly interested in, where its members think changes can be made. At the Friday meeting the committee discussed laws that make it a hassle for college students to vote and laws that make it difficult for absentee ballot voters, specifically members of the military.

As the meeting came to a close and the participants filed out, they noted that aside from two or three citizens, the only members of the public in attendance were a handful of college students who only went because they got credit.

“I guess the answer to getting more people out to vote is to give credit to those who do,” joked one attendee. “A tax credit would be nice!”

To read more about the statistics, laws, and ideas for change regarding this issue, visit the commission’s Web page at www.strengthendemocracy.org, where citizens are encouraged to add your own concerns and ideas for change regarding Utah’s declining voter turnout.