Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune.

One of Julie Quinlan’s reasons for running is to get fair voting district maps, something she says one of her opponents sabotaged.

Quinlan, the Forward Party candidate, joins Democrat Claudia Bigler in challenging the Republican incumbent, Scott Sandall, in Utah Senate District 1. The district covers Box Elder County and parts of Tooele and Cache counties.

Sandall owns and operates a ranch in Promontory, and has served in the Legislature since 2015 and the Senate since 2019, according to his website. Bigler retired in 2025 after 24 years teaching choir at Box Elder High School, and is artistic director of the Cache Children’s Choir, the choir’s website says. Quinlan, her website says, studied landscape architecture and recently got into politics.

Election Day is Nov. 3. Mail-in ballots must be dropped off at a ballot dropbox by 8 p.m. on Election Day or, if returned by mail, must be received by the county clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Candidates submitted photos and answers through a questionnaire. Answers may have been edited for style and clarity. Candidate responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Neither Bigler nor Sandall responded to to the questionnaire.

Utah voters told us government corruption is their top concern in this year’s election. Why do you think voters feel this way? And why should Utahns trust you to represent them?

Claudia Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: Utah has had a trifecta in power for 40 years, which creates an atmosphere for extreme corruption, as they feel that no one can stop them and they don’t have to listen to anyone but themselves. We need balance in the Legislature, not a single party in power for decades.

I will bring a fresh perspective to the Legislature and owe no one any favors. I am not a developer or contractor looking to benefit my profession; au contraire, I am here to make a difference, not to make money.

Scott Sandall: Did not respond.

Utahns told us affordability is their second-highest priority in this election. How would you help Utahns afford housing, groceries, gas and other day-to-day expenses?

Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: Ordinary citizens pay heavy taxes while the rich 1% pay less than anyone else. This is not fair. The rich need to pay their fair share.

Employees of big corporations expect their employees to be on welfare so that they don’t have to pay a living wage. In essence, the taxpayers are supplementing corporations by supporting their employees with tax dollars. We must require the corporations to pay a living wage and get the employees off of welfare so that taxes can be lowered for all Utahns.

Sandall: Did not respond.

Water resources were also a top concern for voters. What policies would you support as Utah looks to balance growth with preservation of the Great Salt Lake and the Colorado River?

Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: We are fortunate that the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy has implemented a water conservation policy allowing the return of 2,500 acre-feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.

It’s only one water district out of five, so we must oblige the other four water districts to follow suit. We can begin to bring back the Great Salt Lake and conserve water from the Colorado River as well, if all of Utahns voluntarily take the challenge and start to conserve every drop.

Sandall: Did not respond.

What is another topic you care about and want to address if elected to public office?

Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: My opponent is Scott Sandall, who is the chairman of the committee to create new fair maps for voting districts. I watched him sabotage the effort to create fair maps. … I have known since I was in junior high that gerrymandering is cheating; therefore, I am running to replace Sandall and work for fair and honest voting maps.

Sandall: Did not respond.

How will you vote on Constitutional Amendment A? If passed, the amendment will stop the practice of publishing the full text of amendments and ballot questions by lawmakers in a newspaper for 60 days ahead of an election and instead require that text to be published on two state websites.

Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: Against.

Sandall: Did not respond.

How will you vote on Constitutional Amendment B? If passed, citizen-proposed laws that increase taxes would need to be approved by 60% of voters, instead of a simple majority.

Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: Against.

Sandall: Did not respond.

What’s your favorite book and why?

Bigler: Did not respond.

Quinlan: “Lone Woman” is about the first woman doctor in the United States, Elizabeth Blackwell. Twenty-nine medical schools rejected her, but she never gave up, and while most men were against her, she was supported by progressive doctors all along her journey.

Sandall: Did not respond.