Babalis, Harte hold narrow leads in Summit County Council Democratic primaries

Christie Babalis and Canice Harte were ahead in close Democratic Summit County Council primary races Tuesday night, according to unofficial results. Photo: TownLift

"Official results for the 2026 Primary Elections will be available after the Canvass happens, which occurs two weeks after Election Day on July 7," said Bridget Noble, Communications and Public Engagement Deputy Director for Summit County

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Unofficial primary election results released Tuesday night show close Democratic races for two Summit County Council seats, while Republican voters favored Celeste Maloy in the U.S. House District 3 primary and Jeffrey Pierce in the State House District 59 race.

According to Summit County’s unofficial summary results, 4,425 ballots were cast out of 14,483 registered voters, for a total voter turnout of 30.55%. Democratic turnout was 33.89%, while Republican turnout was 29.50%.

The Democratic primaries for Summit County Council remained tight Tuesday night. Christie Babalis led John Kucera in District 4 by 15 votes, 310 to 295, while Canice Harte led Meredith Reed in District 5 by 14 votes, 294 to 280, according to unofficial results.

“Official results for the 2026 Primary Elections will be available after the Canvass happens, which occurs two weeks after Election Day on July 7,” said Bridget Noble, Communications and Public Engagement Deputy Director for Summit County.

In the Republican primary for U.S. House District 3, Celeste Maloy led Phil Lyman in Summit County with 2,029 votes to Lyman’s 1,161. The race drew 3,245 Republican ballots in the county.

In the Republican primary for State House District 59, Jeffrey Pierce led Luke Searle with 449 votes to Searle’s 228. That contest had 693 ballots counted in total.

The county’s precinct-level report showed that turnout varied widely across precincts, with several exceeding 40%. The LPNW precinct reported 46.95% turnout, while PKMN reported 44.03%, PEOA reported 42.86%, and SLVR reported 42.29%.

Summit County reported 11,001 registered Republican voters and 3,482 registered Democratic voters eligible for the primary. The unofficial results were posted Tuesday night after polls closed.