LOGAN — Candidates are wasting no time in Utah. On Monday, the first official day of 2022 for campaigning, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Becky Edwards was busy signature gathering while she called into KVNU’s For the People program.

“I’m actually sitting in the living room of someone’s home who is hosting the signature-gathering event in their garage. They have a space heater out there, they have treats, they’ve got signature packets people are signing and we’re hitting the ground running. We have signature-gathering events all over the state today because today marks the beginning of signature-gathering. It is…a really great opportunity for people to become engaged in the process for the primary elections which are coming up in June,” she explained.

Edwards agreed that campaigning is about engaging the voters, discussing ideas and asking questions. She elaborated on how the primary process works.

“They go to gathering with their neighbors, maybe at a school or whatever and you elect delegates who then go to the conventions for both parties, and they will vote on the candidates there,” she explained. “And whoever the people are who come out of those conventions, their names will go on those primary ballots. A few years ago, a bill was passed by the Utah state legislature that set- in place a parallel path to get your name on the ballot, and this was through signature gathering.”

This affects everything from state legislative races all the way up to the U.S. Senate. Edwards said for her race, they need 28,000 signatures to secure a place on the Republican primary ballot. You can get more information on her campaign at beckyforutah.com.