More than 30 Salt Lake City police officers will make periodic checks at the the city's 85 election polling places throughout the day, according to police spokesman Dwayne Baird.

Though no specific threats have been made, Baird said precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of voters and poll workers.

“We have a plan in case a threat or any action is taken by anyone,” he said, but declined to explain details of the plan.

According to Utah's deputy director of elections, Rozan Mitchell, a chain of command is in place so polling judges can easily contact police as well as the county clerks offices and, if necessary, the state elections office.

The plan covers potential problems ranging from a power outage to a bomb threat and helps protect the integrity of the votes, she said.

“We just want to make sure voters feel that they are safe, regardless of what the situation may be,” Mitchell said. “Their vote will be cast and counted.”

The heightened security measures actually went into effect Oct. 15 with a handful of local agencies agreeing to work together in case of an emergency.

Those agencies include the Utah State Elections Office, the Utah Department of Homeland Security, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Salt Lake County Protective Services, the Utah Transit Security, the Salt Lake City Attorney's Office and the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office.

Other law enforcement agencies throughout that state also were urged to visit polling stations if possible.

Utah Department of Public Safety spokesman Derek Jensen said the Utah Department of Homeland Security will monitor what is going on from behind the scenes.

“With the state of the world as it is, we're going to take precautions,” he said.

jbergreen@sltrib.com