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Utah law currently prohibits a municipality from holding a primary election when the number of candidates for an office does not exceed twice the number of open seats, meaning those candidates automatically move forward without a primary; if more candidates file than that, a primary is required. This bill would keep the automatic-advancement rule for smaller candidate fields but add a new middle tier: if the number of candidates exceeds twice but not more than three times the number of open seats, the municipality would have the option to hold a primary election. If the number of candidates exceeds three times the number of open seats, the municipality would still be required to hold a primary. The bill also makes clarifying and technical changes to how special districts and newly incorporated municipalities schedule and authorize their own primary elections, without changing the basic rule that a special district primary can only occur if the district's board approves it and the candidate field is large enough to warrant one.