Utah
Discrepancies, high rejection rate found in Utah County voting
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Elections Office has found vote discrepancies in Utah County because of a novel in-person voting method, and a high rate of rejected signatures on by mail ballots in the county’s June 25 primary election, their newly released report shows.
The report from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office outlines that at least 19 more ballots were cast than people who signed in to in-person polling locations across Utah county during the Primary.
The discrepancies, the report states, were because of the use of an in-person voting method unique to Utah County implemented by County Clerk, Aaron Davidson called “Fast Cast” that may have allowed voters to turn in more than one ballot.
“The fast cast voting process as implemented in the 2024 primary election lacked key statutory controls and created an environment where fraudulent and/or unauthorized ballots were cast,” the report states.
“We don’t know for a fact that those were fraudulent, but we can’t prove that they weren’t,” Lt. Gov’s Deputy Elections Director Shelly Jackson said.
The review also found other concerning problems, namely that ballot signatures on by-mail ballots were rejected at a rate higher than the statewide average and five times higher than the 2023 primary election.
“I definitely think there was an unnecessary barrier to voting,” Jackson said of the rate at which those signatures were rejected.
Jackson was part of a team of four who reviewed Utah County’s elections and visited the office one week after the primary, July 2.
Davidson’s response
Davidson has told the office, as noted in the report, that voters were properly checked in at the polling locations but did not get their vote histories recorded due to “confusion with poll worker training.” Jackson confirmed that is how Davidson explained what happened.
Davidson also explained to KSL TV why he implemented Fast Cast.
“In-person voting is the most safe and secure way to cast a ballot and make sure it gets counted,” Davidson said. “The fast cast method maintains the verification of showing up in person, showing your ID, signing the poll pad, but not having to wait in line for the next available voting booth.”
“For every ballot that’s cast in person the Clerk’s office does not have to go through the complex very subjective signature verification process which carries a risk of that ballot having to go through the cure process,” he said.
What is “fast cast” voting?
Fast Cast allows voters to fill out their ballots at home and take it to a polling location, but instead of signing their ballot envelope and dropping it off, voters scan it directly into a special tabulation machine after showing their ID at a polling location.
Davidson has been vocal about his distaste for the United States Postal Service to return ballots, pushing voters instead to use dropboxes or to vote in person.
In mid-July, after Washington and Iron counties encountered problems with late postmarks, Davidson wrote on X, “The US Postal Service is no longer verifiable as safe and secure.” Earlier this year, he also shifted the county away from paying for return postage on mail-in ballots.
According to the report, the fast cast system in Lehi, Pleasant Grove and early in-person county polling places had the issues with more ballots cast than voters who checked in.
“This means that 19 votes may have been cast without a voter showing ID or having their signature checked and reviewed by poll workers at the polling location,” the report states.
“Due to the inherent lack of controls in ‘fast cast’ voting and the subsequent noncompliance of Utah election law, the Utah County Clerk’s Office must either abandon the ‘fast cast’ voting method or make significant modifications to bring it into compliance with state code,” the report recommends.
A ‘key security feature disabled’
The reason the tabulation machines allowed for possible fraud, the report states, is because a “key security feature was disabled” in order for these tabulators to read the mail-in ballots.
While Jackson couldn’t discuss the specifics of that safeguard, she said that the tabulation machines were programmed to accept by-mail ballots as opposed to in-person ballots. When a voter votes in person, there is a ballot with a different type of marking on it. That prevents the voter from voting both a by mail and an in person ballot.
“Disabling this would allow for any ballot to be read, creating the potential for multiple ballots to be scanned in by a single voter,” the report states.
“I think any time that you take away safeguards, it is it is a serious matter,” Jackson said. “The machine did have to have that safety feature turned off in order to accept the by-mail ballot versus in-person ballot.”
In total, the report examined 10 polling locations across the county and all but one location had mismatched vote totals with ballots cast.
“‘Fast Cast’ was presented as a way to expedite ballot processing because voters would present ID when submitting their ballot, therefore signature verification would not be performed. However, Utah County still experiences significant delays in ballot processing,” the report states.
It also warns that the fast cast method could create long lines during the general election.
Davidson said the county is already implementing recommendations from the report, including an “overhaul of Fast Cast Voting, weekly trainings on signature verification and improvements to reconciliation procedures.”
High rate of signatures rejected
According to the report, Jackson and the staff also found a high rate of rejected signatures on ballots that were actually valid Utah voters.
“County signature rates were higher than the statewide average and more than five times higher than the 2023 primary election rejection rate,” the report states.
This appears to have led to unnecessary cure letters sent to voters to fix their signatures. The report does not say whether these voters actually returned those cure letters, but anyone who didn’t, wouldn’t have had their vote counted.
One county staff member who was audited during the visit had 25% of the signatures they reviewed rejected, according to the report. It notes that while proper verification is important, staff were “too stringent” with rejecting signatures.
Utah law requires a 1% audit of signature verifications to make sure that ballots cast are actually a registered Utah voter. The report notes that the clerk’s office management acknowledged these high rejection rates during the audit, but “no remedial action was taken.”
“Care must be taken to verify that each vote was cast by the required registered voter, but undue and unnecessary burdens should not be placed on voters,” the report states.
Key findings
In all, the report issued five total findings and subsequent recommendations for Davidson’s office to fix related to in-person voting before November. They are as follows:
- The office did not reconcile the number of voters who checked in at a polling location with the number of ballots cast. Henderson’s office requires this must be done and reviewed for accuracy during the canvass. The report states reconciliation should happen multiple times throughout the day.
- Fast Cast lacked “key statutory controls and created an environment for fraudulent voting.” It bans the method unless key changes are made to make it compliant with state law.
- Some of the staff were too stringent on signature verifications. The office must review signature verification guidelines and implement those.
- Utah County under-utilized the 1% signature audits to provide additional training. The office must review and implement audit policy.
- Utah County has grainy and unclear images of signatures on file. The office should begin updating signatures they have on file.
The report notes that despite the issues raised, Henderson’s office remains “committed to the success of the Utah County Clerk’s Office and staff” and is ready to help implement the changes.
The report notes that each method of voting — in person, dropboxes, and the mail — should be made “accessible and secure” for voters. Jackson also said that Utah County has been receptive to the changes.
“We don’t anticipate these problems to be repeated,” she said.
In his first game since Dec. 29, Vaněček stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced; however, the netminder only allowed one even-strength goal. The Blue Jackets had 11 shots in the first period, 14 in the second, nine in the third, and two in overtime. The 36 shots he faced are a season-high for Vaněček.
“Really good, I think,” Tourigny explained. “Tough situation, he didn’t play for a little bit, and came in and the guys did not play their A game in front of him, and he kept us there. I think he did a great job.”
“He was amazing,” Sergachev said of Vaněček. “He held the ground for us. We gave up a little too much, as I said. He was big for us tonight. We just couldn’t get it done for him.”
McBain and Mikhail Sergachev scored Utah’s goals. McBain’s tally tied the game, 1-1 in the first, while Sergachev’s gave the Mammoth a 2-1 lead in the second period.
With Sergachev’s tally, Utah’s defensemen have scored in five of the last six contests as the Mammoth’s blueline continues to deliver. Sergachev has six points in the first six games of the year, two of which were goals.
“There’s a trust from the forwards that we’re going to get it (on net),” Sergachev explained. “Once they saw that we started scoring, they’re going to pass it more. That’s the game plan that we’re trying to execute–every game, pretty much. Every team is trying to stay lower.”
Utah continues the homestand next week and will look to bounce back on Tuesday. However, it’s important for the team to be disappointed from today’s game.
“First of all, you need to sting a little bit,” Tourigny said. “It’s not just about moving on. It’s about learning from it. I think there’s a lesson to learn from that game. Like I said, it’s not a matter of execution or effort. It was a matter of mindset, be ready to play the game the way it should have been played, and our decision with the puck. There’s many things that were not on par.”
Additional Notes from Tonight
- Captain Clayton Keller is on a three-game multi-assist streak and has seven assists, in the last three games. Keller had the primary assist on McBain and Sergachev’s goals. Tonight was his seventh multi-assist game and 14th multi-point game in 2025-26, both of which are the most of any Mammoth skater (per Mammoth PR).
- All three of Utah’s meetings with Columbus have now been won by the road team in overtime by a 3-2 margin (per Mammoth PR).
- McBain opened the scoring tonight with his second point through three games on this homestand (also 1/7 vs. OTT: 1A). Four of his five goals this season have been game-tying tallies (per Mammoth PR).
The Mammoth’s homestand continues Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cheer on Utah’s team at Delta Center! Tickets are available here.
Upcoming Schedule
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Five vehicles collided with a piece of exercise equipment on I-15 near the Arizona-Utah border on Friday, according to Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department.
At around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, fire personnel responded to an incident involving five vehicles on I-15 Southbound at Mile Marker 17. Crews arrived on scene to find “slightly used exercise equipment” in the middle of the road, officials said.
A total of 14 people were involved in the collisions, though only one was taken to the hospital, St. George Regional, as a result.
“Please drive defensively; Keep your eyes on the road,” a social media post from Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire states.
No further information is available at this time.
Utah
Analysis: Utah’s fight was there against No. 9 BYU, but the little details cost Utes a shot at the upset
Utah couldn’t get enough defensive stops Saturday night against No. 9 BYU in the latest rivalry matchup at the Huntsman Center.
The Runnin’ Utes, though, made the Cougars work for the victory, even as a heavy underdog.
There are no moral victories in this bitter rivalry, but if Utah can show progress moving forward from BYU’s harder-than-expected 89-84 victory, this kind of effort won’t go in vain.
“I think it was, there was a lot of little things, a lot of game plan things, little details that I don’t know if we just forgot or didn’t pay attention to,” Utah first-year coach Alex Jensen said about what cost Utah against the Cougars.
“Down the stretch, we’ve talked about it for a while because we’re going to give up size to other teams, but giving up the offensive (boards), it’s hard to get a stop and then they get the offensive rebounds. It’s a hard thing to come back from, especially the last few minutes.”
Jensen lamented his team’s defensive effort against the Cougars multiple times in the postgame press conference — BYU was able to shoot 50% in the game, and the Cougars held a 41-33 rebounding edge.
Senior Richie Saunders, who had never beaten Utah in the Huntsman Center until Saturday, was especially destructive on the boards. He had 14, including six on the offensive end, and helped BYU have a 16-10 edge in offensive boards and 19-14 in second-chance points.
“It’s hard to give up 89 points and win, right?” Jensen said. “And if you look at all the good teams in college that win, (they) are the other teams that defend and rebound.”
Utah has made giving BYU headaches in the Huntsman a routine thing. Even though the Cougars are the program on the ascent, the Utes still won their last two games in the series played at the storied venue.
Utah even pumped some belief into the packed house multiple times over the course of the game that it could stun BYU again.
The Utes got out to a 7-0 start in the game, then matched BYU punch for punch in the first half before going into the break down two after a questionable foul call resulted in two free throws from AJ Dybantsa just before the half.
Though BYU eventually built a 13-point lead in the second half, the Utes fought back again and made it a one-possession game multiple times down the stretch.
That included cutting it to 81-80 on two Terrence Brown free throws with 3:15 to play.
Then, the Utes had a defensive stop in the final minute down three, but a costly turnover — just Utah’s ninth of the night — gave BYU the ball back with eight seconds remaining.
Two Saunders free throws followed that turnover from Brown, and with that, the Utes’ fight came up short.
Brown and Don McHenry showed up well in their introduction to the rivalry, as the dynamic scoring guards accounted for more than half of Utah’s points.
Brown had a game-high 25 points to go with five assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots, while McHenry had 21 points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal.
“Coach was just just saying you should be excited to play in a game like this,” Brown said. “… It was just a good opportunity, and it was definitely exciting.”
Fifth-year forward James Okonkwo provided a spark in front of a raucous crowd, to the tune of 13 rebounds, four points and two assists.
“James has been great the last two games. It’s great because it leads us with a physicality and just his presence, and that’s kind of what we want from him as a fifth-year senior,” Jensen said.
“The last two games, he’s been great and hopefully we get that, that same James going forward.”
Speaking of the crowd, the Utes noticed just how much a packed house for the first time this season — call it the annual rivalry effect — brought an energy to an arena that is often far too quiet as Utah tries to rebuild a once-proud program.
“I think the MUSS did a really good job of, like energizing us. It was a different level of energy in the game today, and it was really encouraging,” Okonkwo said.
“We went out on a really good run to start the game, and you could just feel it. We were locked in and it was really fun.”
It wasn’t enough to best BYU’s Big 3. Dybantsa, the projected lottery pick, had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, Saunders tossed in 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds (six offensive), while Rob Wright III added 23 points and six assists.
Can Utah learn from this game and take some lessons into the rest of Big 12 play?
Yes, the Utes are likely to lose the majority of their games the remainder of the season — they are the worst-ranked Big 12 team in the NET and KenPom, by a sizable margin — but Utah also showed that it’s progressing, even if incrementally.
“Honestly, like we have enough — we’re going to be so good when we clean up just a little mistakes,“ Okonkwo said. ”Honestly, that’s my opinion.
“That’s what (coach) was kind of harping on about in the locker room, just staying consistent. Just get better every day.”
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