There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Utah or elsewhere. But as Election Day approaches, Utah election officials once again face skepticism of the ballot counting process.
“Every state does things differently. Every county, even to some degree, does things differently,” Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson told the Sutherland Institute’s Defending Ideas podcast on Oct. 15. “There's so much information out there and so many different places to get information, most of it's bad information.”
Henderson was also joined on the podcast by Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie and Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman.
Henderson’s office was the subject of a threatening letter filled with white powder on Sept. 20. She later forcefully spoke out against those who threaten the state’s election system and the workers who help it run smoothly.
In May, a poll conducted with researchers at Johns Hopkins University found 62% of self-identified Utah conservatives were either “not too confident” or “not at all confident” that President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election. Among independents, it was 32%.
Despite former President Donald Trump easily winning the state, his continued allegations of voter fraud still spread – with some lawmakers introducing legislation to eliminate mail-in voting and attempting to access the cast vote record — something that would violate the right to a secret ballot in Utah’s Constitution.
This time around Trump has repeatedly claimed he did not lose the 2020 election and his vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance has said he does not think Trump lost.
Doubt has also made its way into Utah politics.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman has consistently cast doubt on the election process after his June primary loss to incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox. A state audit presented on Oct. 15 found some errors in the signature verification process used by some candidates, including Cox, to access the primary ballot. It also concluded that there was nothing that supported disqualifying them from the ballot.
Despite the occasional hiccup, McKenzie said Utah has a “phenomenal system” for conducting its elections.
“It's not perfect, and it never will be perfect, because there's always that continual growth and improvement.”
Utah elections are run at the county level. Post-election audits are then conducted to ensure accuracy of the vote count and the results are only finalized after an official canvass certifies the vote, which must be done no later than 14 days after an election.
It’s that decentralization and redundancy, McKenzie said, that is the safeguard against any kind of widespread fraud.
“You have to have multiple individuals involved in that process in order to make sure that the elections are done correctly,” he said. “That level of independence, breaking up those responsibilities, helps put those checks and balances in place on the individuals.”
Another important thing for voters to keep in mind is the reality of who poll workers are.
“These are your old first grade teachers,” said Chapman. “These are people you go to church with. These are, you know, people that you see in the grocery store that walk their dog by your house. These are our neighbors that are helping us administer elections.”
Henderson’s advice to voters ahead of Election Day: If they hear something that sounds outrageous, it probably is.
“The problem is that the stuff that goes viral, the information that really gets people's attention, is usually wrong, outrage and absurdity,” she said. “It gets a lot more traction than boring old truth and fact and reason.”
Election officials like Henderson, McKenzie and Chapman’s main focus this year is closing what they call the "education gap."
“As an election official, I will tell you everything you want to know about elections. I will tell you, come to my office. There's no question off limits,” McKenzie said. “But I will also tell you, don't just take my word for it. Come and learn for yourself. Come and see for yourself.”
He says registered voters can observe the ballot counting process at their local county clerk’s office if they sign up to be poll watchers.
