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Greg Neft and Jed Boal ReportingYou don't have to wait until election day to cast your vote. Voters can cast early ballots starting today.
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon joined Sherrie Swenson at Murray City Hall to be among the first to cast their votes.
Lt. Governor Gary Herbert said it's been busy at the Salt Lake County Government Center polling station, and he likes that.
"I'm impressed. It's nice to see so many people taking the opportunity to come and vote, and vote early," he said.
This one was already open, but it's the first day of expanded early voting in other places and Herbert says it gives people more of a chance to vote.
"It allows them to not have an excuse of why they didn't vote on November 7," he said.
And voter Kathy Davis of Midvale agrees. "I probably would have missed voting," she said.
The county clerk anticipates as many as 15-percent of the voters may come out early. The lieutenant governor hopes that figure will go up to 20 or 25 percent in the future.
Sherrie Swensen, Salt Lake County Clerk: "People are getting the word that they may vote early, and this is our goal to encourage people to vote early so there aren't crowds at the polling place election day."
The new voting machines are expensive -- three-thousand dollars each. With tremendous growth in our state election officials could either add more machines or add more days for voters and adding more days is cheaper.
"For us, it's really a matter of getting ready for 2008. A presidential election, big voter turn-out, and this is a way to mitigate some of the long lines."
You can vote early at the county clerk's office or courthouse in each county. There are satellite polling places in several counties.
In Summit County the No Voice, No Vote campaign is taking Park City Basin Residents on a free bus ride to the only open early polling location in Coalville. Just make sure to bring your photo ID.
