Utah

Report: How secure are Utah’s elections?

Published

2 years ago

January 29, 2024

Report: How secure are Utah’s elections?

Estimated read time: 4-5
minutes

OREM — Election integrity has become a hot-button topic nationally since the past presidential election when former President Donald Trump raised false claims about the election being stolen. But where does the Beehive State stand when it comes to election and voting integrity?

To begin answering this question, the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy at Utah Valley University on Monday held a panel discussion with political and voting experts who presented three reports on Utah’s election integrity.

The reports and the discussion focused on Utah’s election process, voter access and ballot security, 2022 election results in ranked choice voting contests and the issue of inactive ballots.

Could election fraud happen in Utah?

“Voter Access and Ballot Security,” by Kal Munis and Mikelle Dahl, reviewed Utahns’ access to the ballot and the security and counting of their ballots once votes are cast.

“Voting on ballot initiatives, voting for our representatives, really constitutes the only means through which most Americans will ever directly participate into the policymaking process,” Munis said. “It’s no exaggeration to say that preserving the fairness and integrity of the (voting) process is serious and some might even say sacred business.”

According to the report, four pillars contribute to successful elections in Utah: a citizen’s access to the ballot, tabulating equipment, ballot chain of custody and individual voter responsibility.

In Utah, people can register to vote by mail, in-person or by pre-registering automatically at age 18. Dahl said Utah ranks fifth in the United States for voter access and registration with 77.8% of Utah’s voting-age population registered to vote.

An extremely high percentage of Utah voters choose to cast their ballots via mail, the report shows, providing them with easier access to voting and allowing them to complete a ballot at their convenience.

When it comes to casting and counting votes, there are many ways this is done, and methods have had to evolve for the higher volume of ballots cast and the need for faster result tabulation.

Utah uses direct-record electronic and optical scan voting machines — both considered secure voting systems by the United States Election Assistance Commission — and requires each machine and replacement part to be certified by the commission, said the report. Further bolstering security, certified machines are never connected to the internet, making it “impossible” to access them remotely and manipulate election results.

Based upon our review of Utah’s election laws and procedures, the Herbert Institute holds utmost confidence in the security of Utah’s elections.

– “Voter Access and Ballot Security,” by Kal Munis and Mikelle Dahl

Another crucial aspect of a secure election is ballot security and chain of custody — how ballots are handled and transported from polling sites to tabulating locations.

“Without the proper documentation, elections would lose their transparency and trustworthiness to the public because we would not be able to have assurance that the elections were secure,” Dahl said. “Utah requires that election officials document the chain of custody for all voting materials as well as equipment.”

While the aforementioned steps to ensure election integrity mainly fall into the hands of election officials, the voting public also carries responsibility when it comes to elections, mainly in the sense of providing correct information about themselves.

“Some of the responsibilities that voters have (are), they have to contact (an) election office if their ballot doesn’t arrive on time. They have a responsibility to carefully mark, sign and return their ballots on time. They have a responsibility to check their ballot status online or sign up for notifications for when their ballots are mailed, received and tabulated,” Dahl said.

Additionally, it is the responsibility of the voter to seek out reputable and verifiable information on the when, where and how of voting, as well as on candidates and policies.

Dahl and Munis agreed the four pillars are what support Utah’s elections and, given the safeguards in place, election fraud is unlikely in Utah.

“Based upon our review of Utah’s election laws and procedures, the Herbert Institute holds utmost confidence in the security of Utah’s elections,” said the report.

People can read Munis and Dahl’s report, along with others, here.

The summary of UVU professor Alan Parry’s research into ranked choice voting emphasizes that transparent presentation of the results of such elections is key and tallies should be released in a round-by-round breakdown to make it easy for voters to understand.

A joint report by Parry and Rachel Hutchinson, senior policy analyst at FairVote, examines the impact of ballots that become inactive due to the voter’s choice not being selected as the winning candidate.

Most recent Utah elections stories

Logan Stefanich is a reporter with KSL.com, covering southern Utah communities, education, business and tech news.

Curry helps Golden State bury Utah 140-124 behind a flurry of 3-pointers

Published

10 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Curry helps Golden State bury Utah 140-124 behind a flurry of 3-pointers

By John Coon, The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Stephen Curry scored 27 points, Moses Moody had 26 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 140-124 on Wednesday night.

Gui Santos had 16 points off the bench for the Warriors. Golden State made 23 3-pointers and never trailed over the final three quarters. Moody led the way with five 3s.

The 140 points scored by the Warriors was their season high.

Brice Sensabaugh scored 22 points off the bench for Utah. Keyonte George had 19 points and seven assists. Ace Bailey also scored 19 points for the Jazz and Lauri Markkanen had 18.

Utah trimmed a 22-point deficit to single digits entering the fourth quarter. The Jazz drew to 108-100 on a pair of free throws from Isaiah Collier with 9:52 left. Curry made back-to-back baskets to restore a double-digit lead.

Golden State used a 20-2 run to go up 136-109 with 3:29 left.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, has the ball knocked away by Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski, right, as he was driving to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Golden State made it rain from the perimeter early, going 15 of 31 from long distance before halftime. Eight different players made an outside basket for the Warriors in the first half. Buddy Hield and Moody accounted for three apiece before halftime.

Hield buried back-to-back 3s a minute into the second quarter to cap a 19-8 run that gave Golden State a 40-24 lead. The Warriors built a 16-point lead three other times in the second quarter — the final time when Quinten Post made a 3-pointer to make it 64-48.

Golden State expanded its lead to 22 points in the third quarter, going up 91-69 on a pair of free throws from Curry.

Up Next

Warriors: Host Detroit on Saturday night.

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Utah

Inmates create first‑of‑its‑kind documentary inside Utah State prison – KSLTV.com

Published

22 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Inmates create first‑of‑its‑kind documentary inside Utah State prison – KSLTV.com

SALT LAKE CITY — A groundbreaking documentary — conceived, filmed, and produced entirely by inmates at the Utah State Prison—is giving the public an unprecedented look at life behind bars.

The film, Breaking Chains, follows six incarcerated men and women as they confront their pasts, reflect on their choices, and work toward rebuilding their lives.

The Utah Department of Corrections collaborated with the One Kind Act a Day initiative to secure funding and equipment for the inmates. The result is a raw, emotional film that highlights a little‑known educational program operating inside the prison.

The documentary opens with a stark confession from participant Casey Vanderhoef.

“When I was incarcerated in 2021, I had no more answers,” Vanderhoef says in the film. “I knew I was broken in a way I couldn’t fix.”

Vanderhoef, now living in a halfway house as he completes his sentence, says revisiting his past on camera wasn’t easy.

“There are certainly regretful decisions—and sometimes embarrassing ones—that are definitely part of my story,” he explains.

The project was coordinated from outside the prison by filmmaker and educator Bo Landin, who says the decision to have inmates interview one another created a level of honesty he didn’t expect.

“It’s authentic. It’s raw. It’s emotional,” Landin says. He admits he became emotional himself while transcribing the conversations. “I think it’s important because it is their voice. They are telling us a story.”

The program began with roughly 18 to 20 students learning the fundamentals of filmmaking, storytelling, and production.

The One Kind Act a Day initiative—created by philanthropist Khosrow Semnani—donated the professional equipment used to make the documentary. The Semnani Family Foundation will now support an ongoing media program integrated into the prison’s career‑training and productive‑time initiatives. Semnani hopes the effort encourages compassion in a place where it can be hard to find.

“Human nature is born with kindness,” Semnani says. “But in prison, it’s not there.”

For Vanderhoef, the experience has been transformative.

“As I look back at the mistakes that were made, I have some regret and embarrassment,” he says. “But I have a lot more gratitude.”

Semnani says he recently spoke with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi about expanding the program nationally, potentially bringing similar opportunities to prisons across the country.

Breaking Chains debuted at the Utah International Film Festival and won the Audience Choice Award. Landin now hopes to promote it at film festivals worldwide in hopes of getting it in theaters for the public to see.

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Nina Dobrev Wears a Bathrobe While in Utah for Sundance Film Festival

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Nina Dobrev Wears a Bathrobe While in Utah for Sundance Film Festival

Nina Dobrev‘s bathrobe photo has fans checking in from Park City, Utah, during Sundance weekend. She posted it 18 hours ago, tagged Park City, and wrote, “Final Sundance in Park City, Utah? bittersweet doesn’t begin to describe it…” Nina’s carousel from the Sundance Film Festival reads like downtime between screenings. The post shows about 480.8K likes and 888 comments.

Nina Dobrev shares a bathrobe photo from Utah during Sundance Film Festival

Have a look at Nina Dobrev in a bathrobe:

Photo Credit: Nina Dobrev Instagram

The “Vampire Diaries” alum wears a plush white hotel robe, loosely cinched at the waist. It falls open at the neckline. Her hair looks half-done, pinned up at the crown, with loose lengths down.

The warm bathroom lighting highlights marble counters and polished wood doors. The photos also landed after she discussed recovering from a dirt bike injury. Fans replied fast, with one writing, “Such a cutie,” another said, “Gorgeous,” and a third added, “THE DIVA”.

Originally reported by Santanu Das on Reality Tea

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