Since 1997, The Salt Lake Tribune’s editors and editorial board members have selected a Utahn of the Year. The aim is to find the person, persons or entity who — for good or ill — best reflect the state and its biggest news stories of the year.

We ask readers to weigh in, too, through a poll. Last year, you picked The Black Menaces, a group of young Utahns who interview students about race, culture and more.

Here, in alphabetical order, is a list of potential candidates for The Salt Lake Tribune’s 2024 Utahn of the Year. Don’t see your nominee? Write-ins are welcome.

You may vote here or in the form below. Please submit your vote by 5 p.m. on Dec. 13. One vote per person, please. Duplicate votes or suspicious bot activity will be disqualified. Reader poll results will be published at the same time as the editorial board’s choice.

Ephraim Asiata • Ephraim Asiata was injured in a shooting near Hunter High School in 2022. After being hospitalized for weeks and receiving several organ transplants, he’s rebuilding a football career he thought was over at Brigham Young University.

Katharine Biele • As president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, Katharine Biele has stood at the front of a years-long battle for fair voting districts and citizen initiatives. In July, when the Utah Supreme Court ruled that the Utah Legislature overstepped its authority by rewriting a 2018 voter-approved ballot initiative, Biele said it was “a win for all Utahns.”

Fraser Bullock • Fraser Bullock, current CEO and president of the 2034 Salt Lake City bid committee, is credited with securing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. This year, he worked to bring them back to the Beehive State, where he says they will “bring the world together,” “bring the nation together” and “bring communities together.”

Natalie Cline • Former Utah State School Board member Natalie Cline had attracted controversy before, but in early 2024 she caused a public outcry by falsely suggesting a high school athlete was transgender. Her Facebook post resulted in an official censure by the Utah Legislature, who declined requests by the student’s parents to impeach Cline. She was ousted from her seat after she was defeated at the Salt Lake County Republican Nominating Convention in April.

Spencer Cox • In his fourth State of the State address, Gov. Spencer Cox told Utahns to “stay weird.” Throughout the year, he’s made headlines for speaking out against diversity, equity and inclusion programs at state colleges and universities; his focus on immigration and border policy; a contentious convention; a push for more starter homes; and a controversial photo with Donald Trump. He won reelection and will serve as governor for another four years.

Cultural centers • Utah was one of many red states which passed bills dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at public schools. Several cultural centers at Utah colleges were forced to close after the passage of HB261, including the University of Utah’s Women’s Resource Center, Black Cultural Center and LGBT Resource Center; Weber State’s seven cultural centers and spaces for queer students at Southern Utah University and Utah Tech University.

Downwinders • Downwinders — the roughly 60,000 people who were exposed to harmful radiation from nuclear bombs detonated at the Nevada Test Site during the 1950s and early 1960s — spent much of 2024 pushing to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. RECA expired in June, despite several congressional efforts to extend the program and expand its benefits. “Our own congressional delegation has turned its back on us,” said Mary Dickson, a Utah Downwinder and advocate.

Election workers • During a major election year such as 2024, there are many public servants — including volunteer poll workers — helping to make democracy work. This year, they faced misinformation on social media, packages of suspicious white powder and high turnover rates. “They are the soul of our democracy,” the editorial board wrote in November, “and all of us owe them our thanks.”

Shari Franke • Shari Franke said she had an anxiety attack when she saw the trailer for Lifetime’s “Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story.” Shari, now a student at Brigham Young University, has been speaking out against her mother, the Utah parenting influencer convicted of aggravated child abuse, and family vlogging since her little brother escaped from the Ivins home of Franke’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, malnourished and seeking help.

Furries • Furries — or people who share a passion for dressing up in handmade, cartoonish animal costumes — became a talking point in Utah after videos spread in conservative social media circles of students walking out of Mt. Nebo Middle School to protest classmates who had supposedly been dressing as animals and biting and scratching other kids. While officials said the claims are false, many in the furry community told The Tribune they still feel they have to defend or hide their hobby. “I’ve had so many people come up to me and say, ‘This community has saved me and kept me here,’” Ven Ferlin, a leader in Utah’s furry fandom, said.

Cristian Gutierrez • For Cristian Gutierrez, the Redwood Drive-In Theater and Swap Meet is “a lifeline.” That’s why he started an online petition to oppose the proposed rezoning of the land for a housing development. In September, The West Valley City Council voted to approve a petition from EDGEHomes to rezone the property to allow for a housing development that will include 300 housing units and 214 parking spots. “By next year, we have to make sure that City Council represents us,” Gutierrez said.

Mike Lee • In the past year, Utah Sen. Mike Lee spearheaded legislation he says will allow more people to access America’s natural wonders — by building more roads atop them — and signed on to proposed legislation requiring proof of citizenship as part of the voter registration process. He also spent a lot of time posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, amplifying a baseless claim that President Joe Biden had a “medical emergency” on Air Force One, offering condolences to the family of a former president who is still alive and going after local media.

Let Utah Read • Made up of the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union; the Utah chapter of PEN America; national library advocacy group EveryLibrary; the Utah Library Association; and the Utah Educational Library Media Association, Let Utah Read said earlier this year that a bill making it easier to ban books “is a looming threat to the vibrant tapestry of ideas that should adorn our educational landscape.” The coalition continues to speak out as Utah’s list of titles banned from all public schools grows.

Phil Lyman • As a legislator, Phil Lyman sought to limit which restrooms transgender people can use, fought against a new flag and pushed to protect roads. As a gubernatorial candidate, he had to switch running mates and faced accusations of verbal abuse before ultimately losing in the primary election.

Eduardo Marchena and Yulianny Escudero • This past February, Eduardo Marchena and Yulianny Escudero’s family of nine landed at Salt Lake City International Airport from New York City. On their journey from Venezuela, they say they encountered jaguars and snakes and that corrupt police and government officials extorted them for what little money and few valuables they had. They knew little English and had nowhere to go, but sought asylum and stability in the United States.

Jennifer Mayer-Glenn • Jennifer Mayer-Glenn, Special Assistant to the President for Campus-Community Partnerships & Director of University Neighborhood Partners was awarded with The Tribune’s Utah Solutions Award. She works with west side communities to elevate people and practices that are building a stronger Utah.

Russell M. Nelson • President Russell M. Nelson was 93 years old when he assumed his role as 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since taking the helm, he has announced 185 — more than half — of the faith’s global total of 367 planned or existing temples. Under his leadership, the church also updated policies for transgender members, revised temple ceremonies and approved new garment styles.

Alissa Pili • Between Utah’s Pac-12 championships, a Sweet 16 run and the All-American player’s 2,000 career points, Alissa Pili has become an icon to Indigenous and Polynesian kids. “I’m carrying my culture on my back,” she told The Tribune.

Sean Reyes • In 2013, Sean Reyes promised to restore trust in the Utah attorney general’s office. After opting not to seek reelection this year, he leaves as the third consecutive attorney general to face investigations, audits and scrutiny for conduct while in office.

Mitt Romney • Mitt Romney spent his last year as a Utah senator in familiar form: Speaking his mind. He didn’t endorse Donald Trump, but he said Joe Biden should have pardoned him; and he urged Utah’s Olympic organizers to be ready for “a massive undertaking.” He also stayed true to his brand this summer and treated his Republican Senate colleagues to hot dogs — his favorite meat.

Mike Schultz • In his first year as Utah’s Speaker of the House, Mike Schultz oversaw a legislative session that made public calendars private and stripped Utah colleges and universities of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He also joined state leaders in suing the federal government for control of public lands and helped write the language for a controversial — and eventually voided — constitutional amendment ensuring the Utah Legislature can repeal or amend any future ballot initiative. In November, he won reelection in House District 12.

“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” cast • The six #MomTok members behind the reality television series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” brought to light conversations about faith, relationships and dirty sodas. And their show made waves: It was the first Hulu unscripted series to chart on Nielsen’s streaming rankings, and it prompted the newsroom for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to publish a “commentary” decrying distortions of the faith in the “entertainment industry.”

SLC NextGen JA • Salt Lake City’s Japantown — founded in 1902 — spanned nearly 10 city blocks and was home to almost 8,000 people, but was forced to downsize because of construction. When plans to create a downtown Salt Lake City entertainment district were announced, Aimee Kyed and Kenzie Hirai felt both panic and deja vu. They are among a dozen younger Japanese Americans who have formed SLC NextGen JA, a group working to bring around a more activated Japantown.

Ryan Smith • While Ryan Smith’s plans to reshape downtown Salt Lake City are still in the works, he’s made plenty of progress elsewhere. In only a matter of months, the hockey team Smith had proposed bringing to Utah was branded, merchandise was made and a temporary practice facility was built all while the players settled into their new state.

Student protesters • Commentators called them entitled. Mitt Romney said their loans shouldn’t be forgiven. When more than 100 officers showed up to a University of Utah campus protest this past April, several Utahns came to the defense of students speaking out about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “Students are holding up a mirror to reveal our brokenness and flaws,” one professor wrote in a Tribune op-ed.

Utah Hockey Club • In only a matter of months, the Utah Hockey Club went from a proposal to a franchise. Even without a formal team name, fans at the Delta Center have made their support known through record-breaking beer and merchandise sales.

Utah Tech Plaintiffs • Utah Tech University’s top attorney, its second-in-command attorney and its Title IX coordinator say they faced retaliation for reporting sexual misconduct by former president Richard “Biff” Williams to the university’s human resources department. Becky Broadbent, Jared Rasband and Hazel Sainsbury — say in their federal case that the department, alongside the Utah System of Higher Education, conducted a “sham investigation” that served to protect the president.

The Utah Supreme Court • In July, the Utah Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling that the Utah Constitution guarantees citizens the right to change their government through ballot initiatives and, by gutting Proposition 4 — a ballot initiative that sought to set up an independent redistricting commission and prohibit partisan gerrymandering — the Utah Legislature may have violated that right. Months later, the court put an end to Amendment D, which would have asserted the lawmakers’ right to amend or repeal citizen-led ballot initiatives. The court also issued rulings that voided another constitutional amendment and extended a block on Utah’s abortion ban.

Utah’s unsheltered population • Utah’s unsheltered population continued to grow, prompting political, business and community leaders to call for — and take — more action. Colder weather, however, has some communities reconsidering plans for emergency shelters.

Ute Business Committee • This year, the Ute Indian Tribe of Utah’s governing Business Committee spoke out about the state’s treatment of Native students, nonmembers’ “disrespectful” use of hunting and fishing permits and a bill they say blocks them from buying back more of its ancestral homelands.

Violet Vox • This year, Violet Vox performed at the first-ever drag show in Short Creek — the twin towns of Hildale and Colorado City. Raised under the strict control of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Vox told The Tribune about overcoming violence, addiction and judgement before returning for the show. She said she hopes to bring “new beginnings and softer hearts to a lot of people out here.”

Ted Wilson • Ted Wilson, who was elected to three terms as mayor of Salt Lake City and narrowly lost a bid for governor, died earlier this year at 84. “He changed this city,” said Tim Chambless, a long-time friend and former staffer in Wilson’s administration. “He changed lives.”

Nominate your own Utahn of the Year • Who is not on this list? Write in who — for good or ill — best reflected Utah and its biggest news stories of the year.