KSL at Night

Hosts: Leah Murray National data on early voting turnout shows that people between the ages of 18 and 39 have the lowest rates of turnout among early and mail-in voters… so far. We still have a few days left in this election, so there’s room to turn that around. But why is it that young people don’t vote as often as older generations? Leah Murray is a political science professor...

Host: Leah Murray Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson has admitted that he tracks politicians’ ballots. How has he done this when all ballots are supposed to be secret? Davidson says he doesn’t look at how politicians voted, but the method by which they voted. KSL-TV Reporter Lindsay Aerts breaks down this latest development. Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner is calling for h...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon SLCo Council introduces proposed ordinance language for official mailers Today, the Salt Lake County Council discussed a proposed ordinance that would limit how mailers can be used around an election. It comes following an incident with the County Recorder and a notice she sent out with property tax notices. While the flyer wasn’t illegal, there’s...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon New research from Utah Valley University looks at how convincing ‘deepfakes’ and disinformation can be. And the results are staggering; we – as humans – majorly struggle to tell ‘deepfakes’ apart from reality. Brandon Amacher, Director of UVU’s Emerging Tech Policy Lab and instructor for the UVU Center for National Sec...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon Several people are hoping to become the next Attorney General of Utah. We’ve invited each candidate to come on KSL at Night to explain to voters why they’d be the best choice. Rudy Bautista, Democratic candidate for Attorney General is running, saying he wants the office to represent the people. He joins the show to talk more about his platform. &n...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon Who’s going to control Congress in the new year – Republicans or Democrats? It’s anyone’s guess at this point. Could one party win both chambers, or will it continue to be a split Congress? House leaders of both parties have been campaigning in areas not usually popular with their base. KSL at Night takes a few minutes to share updates...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon Ballots have all been sent out and more than 400,000 voters have already sent in their ballots here in Utah. We wrap up our Elections 101 series going over the ballot return process – and overall election security – with Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson . She shares some insights into current voting statistics and discusses the confidence Utahn...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon With only one week left to go until Election Day, the presidential candidates are in the final stretch. Democrats appear to be worried about some of the policies Kamala Harris hasn’t focused on; why? Republicans seem frustrated with a recent rally for Donald Trump; why? We catch listeners up on the presidential race as we enter the final week of this ele...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Rusty Cannon Today, the Salt Lake County Council discussed a proposed ordinance that would limit how mailers can be used around an election. It comes following an incident with the County Recorder and a notice she sent out with property tax notices. While the flyer wasn’t illegal, there’s been a lot of discussion on the ethicality of it all. The KSL at Night ho...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan Appeals court rules on mail-in ballot ‘grace period’ More than 20 states around the country accept mail-in ballots after Election Day, so long as it was postmarked before on or Election Day. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the ‘grace period’ shouldn’t be allowed, siding with the Republican Party, which br...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan  The number of students enrolled in Utah’s public education system is on the decline. In fact, the decrease from 2023 to 2024 is the largest overall decrease since 2015. What’s affecting this trend? The KSL at Night hosts discuss how fertility rates and in-migration is impacting school enrollment in the Beehive State.

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan Voters in Weber County have the opportunity to select their next County Commissioner for Seat C. They either choose the incumbent, or one of two challengers. Steven Van Wagoner is the Democratic candidate for Weber County Commission Seat C . He joins us in the studio to talk about his background and the issues most important to him.

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan Another proposition in Utah County would create another school district for the more western cities in the county: Cedar Fort, Eagle Mountain, Fairfield, and Saratoga Springs. Proposition 14 would also dissolve the Alpine School District and create a new district for the fastest-growing part of Utah County. Mark Whitaker, Secondary Director of Curriculum...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan Proposition 11 is on the ballot in Utah County right now; it would create a new school district for the cities of Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi, and parts of Draper. The idea isn’t necessarily new, but several cities have pushed this idea back to the forefront of folks’ minds. Sarah Beeson, Member of the Alpine School Dist...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan We all know that national elections require a lot of money in order to have a chance at success. But what about on a smaller scale in local elections? Do ‘deep pockets’ matter in those smaller races? KSL at Night hosts Maura Carabello and Taylor Morgan share their thoughts – using their years of experience – and draw a line between...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan There’s been a resurgence in conspiracy theories around the election this year, especially as it relates to mail-in voting and voting machines. The bogus accusations are leading to harassment against election officials and workers, plus it’s affecting rates of early voting. How could these conspiracy theories be affecting early voter turnout?...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have both decided to withhold endorsing any presidential candidate this election cycle. It goes against what they’ve done for many, many previous presidential races. The reasons for the lack of endorsement varies between the two publications, but the effect and outrage from many is the same. Does it actually...

Hosts: Maura Carabello & Taylor Morgan More than 20 states around the country accept mail-in ballots after Election Day, so long as it was postmarked before on or Election Day. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the ‘grace period’ shouldn’t be allowed, siding with the Republican Party, which brought forth the earlier suit. What could this ruling mean for vot...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas Two Lymans drop out of gubernatorial race due to lawsuit from other Lyman It’s been one of the hot-button issues surrounding Utah’s gubernatorial race this election cycle: Lyman/Clawson vs. Lyman/Lyman. Both made the ballots as write-in candidates, and it sparked disagreement and controversy because of the identical last names. Lyman/Clawson sued L...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas You’ve probably heard the question – or even asked it yourself: ‘why is everything so political nowadays?’ Has it always been like this? Yes and no. According to Weber State University political science professor Leah Murray, everything is political whether or not you want it to be. We finish off the week with a deep discussion on the p...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas Demographics play heavily into politics. Whether it’s the age of the voter – or the age of the candidate – there’s often lots of discussion on how an age affects a person’s vote or ability to run. And then there’s geography – our country is split up into states, counties, districts, etc. How does that affect politics?...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas Another proposition in Utah County would create another school district for the more western cities in the county: Cedar Fort, Eagle Mountain, Fairfield, and Saratoga Springs. Proposition 14 would also dissolve the Alpine School District and create a new district for the fastest-growing part of Utah County. Julie King, Member of the Alpine School District Boar...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas Proposition 11 is on the ballot in Utah County right now; it would create a new school district for the cities of Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi, and parts of Draper. The idea isn’t necessarily new, but several cities have pushed this idea back to the forefront of folks’ minds. Nicki Brammer, President of the Best School Distric...

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas The list of celebrity endorsements for both candidates have grown, but the kinds of celebrities endorsing former President Trump differs pretty starkly from the celebrities endorsing Vice President Harris. Why might this be? The KSL at Night hosts spend a few minutes having a political science discussion.

Hosts: Leah Murray & Greg Skordas Speaking in Arizona today, President Biden officially apologized – on behalf of the United States – for more than 150 years of policy that separated Native American children from their families and sent them to boarding schools. It comes following investigations showing roughly 1,000 indigenous children died at these schools. We hear what Pres. Bid...