Two years after beating out a longtime member of the Ogden School District’s Board of Education, Stacy Bernal has set her sights on replacing a first-term lawmaker who tops the Senate Education Committee.

Sen. John Johnson, a management information systems professor at Utah State University who lives in North Ogden, is seeking a second term representing Senate District 3. Johnson was a key player in the effort to eliminate diversity programs in Utah’s higher education institutions.

Bernal, on the other hand, helps oversee one of just a few school districts in the state that are not minority white, and previously served on the Ogden City Diversity Commission.

The Salt Lake Tribune submitted the same set of questions, based on top issues readers said they were watching in this election, to each candidate. The questions and their answers that appear below — with the candidates listed in alphabetical order — may have been edited slightly for length, style or grammar.

Utah’s largest electricity provider has canceled plans to replace its coal-fired power plants with nuclear power and has walked back comments about investing in clean energy. Should Utah be looking for more sustainable and less fossil fuel and carbon-dependent energy sources? If so, how?

Bernal: Yes. We need to find sustainable energy solutions, focusing on workforce access, economic growth and preserving our quality of life.

Johnson: Did not answer.

Water scarcity continues to be a challenge for the state. Recent legislation has attempted to conserve water and to get more water to the Great Salt Lake and Colorado River. Should Utah do more to subsidize homeowners’ efforts to conserve water? What other steps should be taken to deal with water scarcity?

Bernal: Yes, we should subsidize homeowners’ water conservation with rebates for efficient appliances and smart irrigation. Larger scale solutions like stronger water rights policies and efficient farming techniques will help protect Utah’s water future.

Johnson: Did not answer.

What policy changes would you support to address Utah’s affordable housing crisis?

Bernal: I’ll advocate for balanced solutions to the housing crisis and support policies that ensure affordable housing while preserving neighborhood character and providing options for adults with neurodiversity and disabilities, as well as those on fixed incomes.

Johnson: Did not answer.

Following the Utah Supreme Court’s recent decision to keep a near-total abortion ban blocked, anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates called for additional legislative action to circumvent the court-ordered injunction. Would you support banning abortion after six weeks?

Bernal: No.

Johnson: Did not answer.

Would you support a state constitutional amendment to ban abortion?

Bernal: No.

Johnson: Did not answer.

Should there be other restrictions on reproductive health care — especially fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization?

Bernal: No. Individuals should have the right to make their own family planning decisions about their bodies with their doctors.

Johnson: Did not answer.

Are you voting for or against the constitutional amendment that removes the requirement that income taxes be used for education and social services? Why?

Bernal: I will be voting against the amendment to remove the requirement for income taxes to fund education and social services. We must prioritize investment in education, our students and social services for a stronger Utah.

Johnson: Did not answer.

A Utah judge has voided Amendment D and said votes for or against it cannot be counted, but the state is appealing. Do you support changing the Utah Constitution to guarantee that the Legislature can repeal or amend ballot initiatives?

Bernal: No.

Johnson: Did not answer.

ST. GEORGE, Utah — With the election now less than three weeks away, clerks in Washington County did a test run Wednesday to make sure everything is ready to count the votes.

Officials used the test to try to reassure the public that their vote will count on election day as long as their votes are in on time.

Among the largest machines on display was one that didn’t count ballots or find out who people voted for, it just organized the unopened envelopes by precinct and made sure they have the signatures of voters. It’s just the first step in the process that ultimately will result in another machine scanning the ovals and counting the votes.

Ryan Sullivan, Washington County’s main election clerk, showed the public and media members that entire process.

“From audits, all these thousands of ballots have personally been encountered with other teams. I’m super confident these machines are reading the ballots correctly,” he said.

But one of the admittedly few members of the public to take in the test run, David Johnson of Washington City, said even after seeing everything in action, he still doesn’t trust the machines.

“Part of my working career was working with machines and electronics and things,” said Johnson, a local and state Republican delegate. “I know that machines make mistakes, just like humans make mistakes. And I also know that any machine can be manipulated.”

Sullivan said while nothing is 100 percent, there isn’t a way for someone from a computer to hack into the machines in Washington County and other election tabulation centers around the state. He said all of the information from the individual ballots, including voters’ names and who they voted for, remains on site in an internal server in each county and is not on the internet. The only thing sent out are the raw numbers each candidate or measure receives.

Ultimately, Sullivan had three pieces of advice for voters to ensure their vote counts. The one on top of the list: Use the drop boxes, rather than the mailbox.

“If there’s one thing I can guarantee 100 percent is that if you are going to put anything into a drop box, it will get here,” Sullivan said. “My staff is the one that picks them up. They will make its way back here 100% of the time.”

The other guarantee?

“I would just highly recommend that people vote in person,” Sullivan said. “If you don’t vote in person, my personal preference is I use a drop box.”

Sullivan acknowledges some people will have no choice but to use the mailbox.

That caused an issue during this year’s Congressional primary with Washington and Iron County mail being processed two hours across the border in Las Vegas since the 2010s.

“Ballots weren’t stamped in time because the mail was sent to Nevada and then came back, so 1,100 voters that thought they were doing it right because they mailed it before such-and-such-a-date, their votes did not get counted, and that’s just not the way our country is supposed to do it,” Johnson said.

That’s still going to be the process in November. While Sullivan said he can’t control the Postal Service, he has met with postmasters to assure the ballots are safe. Still, he said people sending their ballots in the mail can’t wait until the last minute.

“If you’re going to vote by mail, do it early,” Sullivan said. “And if it’s close to election day, I would take the ballot into the post office and have it hand stamped so that you can make sure that it has a clear postmark date on it. And that has to be at least the day before election.”

He added that just putting a ballot into the outgoing mail on Election Day doesn’t mean it will get an Election Day postmark.

“Whatever you do, do not mail your ballot on election day because it will be late,” Sullivan said. “If you find yourself on Election Day and you’ve got your ballot, you need to take it to a drop box or head down to one of our in-person vote centers.

Sullivan said there are other safeguards in place to ensure a vote is counted, and it’s counted just once.

• A person who had already voted by a mail-in ballot that goes to a polling place will be flagged if they vote again. In addition, the machines at the in-person voting sites will read one mailed in as invalid no matter how it is filled out. 
• A person who has not voted in two years will no longer be mailed a ballot. If they vote in person, their ballot will be considered provisional until it is double-checked. 
• At least in Washington County, all of the drop boxes are under 24-hour surveillance. And there are certain seals that assure they can only be opened by an election official.

ALPINE — Prop 11, a ballot initiative in Utah County, could create a new school district by splitting up Alpine School District.

The ballot initiative will be voted on by citizens in Northern Utah County: Voters in Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi and a portion of Draper will decide whether or not to create the new school district in this November’s election, according to Utah’s public notice website.

“For years, we have worked hard to understand the concerns of constituents on both sides of this issue. Our children are our future, and we want to act in their best interest,” said Lehi City
Councilmember Heather Newall in a press release.

Alpine is currently the largest school district in the state with over 84,000 students, and it’s still growing fast, a spokesperson for the city of Lehi said. If Prop 11 is passed by voters, the new district would take nearly 36,000 of those students, as well as 34 school buildings.

Six city councils in Northern Utah County collaborated in studying whether or not creating a new district was realistic — they determined it was, but decided it was an issue best left up to voters.

“Ultimately, we believe that voters should be empowered to make the decision that works best for them and their families. That is why every city council has unanimously voted to put Prop 11 on the ballot,” Newall said.

A spokesperson for Lehi said the cities heard from residents, teachers and others about how a new school district would impact them.

“The opportunity to create a new school district is unique and doesn’t come around very often,” Highland Mayor Kurt Ostler said in a press release. “I encourage all residents to get involved, stay informed and make their voice heard in this once-in-a-generation opportunity to vote on something that will be such a critical decision for our children’s future.”

If Prop 11 does pass in November, voters in the area will elect school board members the following year, the spokesperson said. Then, they expect the new district to start operations in 2027.