BYU NewsNet - Many Students Didn't Vote in Primary

Road conditions, long lines and forgetfulness were some of the reasons BYU students gave for not voting in the primary election Tuesday.

And a lot of them didn't go to the polls. Finding students who cast a vote proved a difficult task as one after another said they didn't bother to do so Tuesday.

Many were registered back home, whether it was in California, Arizona or other cities in Utah. Hayley Mattson, a BYU student from Roy, couldn't make the drive home to vote in the primaries.

"It's hard to remember to get an absentee ballot," Mattson said. "I wish you didn't have to vote in your precinct."

At the BYU Conference Center, students and local residents waited over one hour in order to use the voting machines. Many saw the line wrapped around the hallways and turned around, planning to come back later in the day.

Denise Mumford was one of those who braved the lines and cold. After voting in 2004 and November 2006, she saw the importance of her vote.

"Choosing a candidate is a hard decision to make," Mumford said. "Out of all the candidates, Romney's morals align with mine, and he did a good job in the debates."

Out of 40 students asked in the Wilkinson Student Center Tuesday night, only two said they had voted, even as an absentee.

"It's important for students to vote," said Jenilyn Reeves, a BYU student from Orem who did vote. "I waited an hour and a half to do so."

But many students said they didn't find voting as important as doing homework, applying for internships and attending classes. And with so many voters in Utah supporting Mitt Romney, many said they felt their vote didn't really matter.

"I figure who I'm going to vote for is going to win," said Rusty Cannon, a BYU student from St. George. "Voting just wasn't a big priority for me."

Provo was expecting a low voter turnout and consolidated voting to nine places around Provo. At Farrer Elementary on Center Street and 600 East, a sign on the door notified some voters that their precinct had been moved to another location.

Jon Bay, a BYU student from Salt Lake City, was registered in Provo, but couldn't figure out where to vote.

"I couldn't find it on the Internet. I couldn't find it in the library," Bay said. "I wasn't very happy. I would have voted for Mitt."

According to CNN, voters in the 18-24 age range only contributed 7 percent of the Republican vote and 10 percent of the Democrat vote throughout Utah. Also, Romney and Obama were overwhelming favorites with young Utah voters.