Throwing one’s hat in the ring means announcing one’s intention to compete in a contest. In politics, it means running for political office. The phrase originally comes from boxing, where contestants would literally throw their hats into the boxing ring as a signal that they wanted to join the fight. In boxing, the expression dates back at least to the beginning of the 19th century. Here is some information if you are thinking about throwing your hat into the political ring this year.

Municipal Elections are held in odd-numbered years. In 2023, Kaysville City will have three City Council member seats up for election (John Swan Adams, Mike Blackham, and Nate Jackson). All the seats are for four-year terms. The election is non-partisan, meaning a candidate is not nominated by a party. Candidates are at-large and elected by all voters in the city, not just one district or precinct. To view and understand the role and expectation of a City Council member, please visit: www.kaysville.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3618/Role-of-the-Council-Member.

Candidates are required to declare candidacy by filing a Declaration of Candidacy form in person at the City Recorder’s office in City Hall. However, a candidate can declare via proxy if the candidate will be out of town the entire week of declaration. Candidate filing begins at 8 a.m. June 1, 2023 and ends at 5 p.m. June 7, 2023 (excluding Saturday and Sunday). A non-refundable filing fee of $100 will need to be submitted at the time of filing.

Each candidate for office must affirm when they file their candidate filing form that they meet (or will meet within constitutional and statutory deadlines) the qualifications prescribed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, the State of Utah, and Davis County. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, a registered voter, may not be a convicted felon (unless the right to hold elective office has been restored) and a resident of Kaysville for 12 consecutive months preceding the date of the election. 

The city has contracted with Davis County for many years to run their municipal elections. The county has the equipment and resources needed to carry out an election and is willing to make them available to the city in holding its municipal primary and general elections in 2023. “At this time there are not any referendums or initiatives for the ballots, so it is looking like a fairly straightforward election year,” said City Recorder Annemarie Plaizier. If more than six candidates declare, the Primary Election will be held on Aug. 15, 2023. The Municipal General Election will be held on Nov. 7, 2023.

“I will continue to update information about the election on the city website at: www.kaysville.gov/347/Elections.” Plaizier said. Further details about the Declaration of Candidacy process and an information packet will be available on the website or in the Recorder’s Office sometime in May. Please contact City Recorder Annemarie Plaizier at 801-546-1235 with any questions.λ