From Ballot Access News:

Utah Will Hold Special Gubernatorial Election in 2010

Utah will hold a special gubernatorial election in 2010, because the Governor elected in 2008, Jon Huntsman, has resigned to become Ambassador to China. The 2010 election will be the first special gubernatorial election in Utah history.

Most states don’t hold special gubernatorial elections when a Governor leaves office in the first half of the term. Instead, they follow the federal model, in which a vice-president who fills a presidential vacancy automatically completes the full presidential term, even if the vice-president becomes president in the first half of the term (for example, Harry Truman became president in April 1945, and no special presidential election was held in 1946).

Thus, in 2010, Utah will have two statewide offices on the ballot, Governor and U.S. Senator. Having two offices instead of just U.S. Senate on the ballot may make it somewhat easier for both of Utah’s qualified minor parties to retain their spots on the ballot in 2010. Both the Libertarian Party and Constitution Party (plus any party that might qualify for 2010 by petition) need to poll 2% in a statewide race in order to remain ballot-qualified for 2012.

It only takes 1,000 petition signatures to get an independent candidate on the ballot in Utah. If you are a member of the Boston Tea Party in Utah, please consider running for governor or U.S. Senator, or talk to folks who you think may be interested in running. Utah is a relatively easy state for ballot access. We should definitely pursue these two offices.