Utah

Why are auditors taking a second look at the Utah primaries?

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

Why are auditors taking a second look at the Utah primaries?

Utah’s statewide Republican primary elections have already been scrutinized by the justice system this year. Now, they will receive an even closer look by both the executive and legislative branches of state government, after several winning candidates requested an audit in an effort to increase trust in elections.

State Auditor John Dougall and state Legislative Auditor General Kade Minchey announced two separate audits into Utah’s primary election process on Tuesday, in addition to the statutorily required audit of Utah elections every federal election year.

Some congressional and statewide GOP primaries put Utah’s election code to the test this year, with a recount required in the 2nd Congressional District and unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the gubernatorial race. Complaints from candidates and voters highlighted potential areas for improvement in Utah’s election system surrounding transparency with signature and voting records.

Dougall, an elected member of Utah’s executive branch, will conduct a review of how state election officials disclose voter registration information and how candidate signature-gathering packets are validated, he said in a press release on Tuesday. No additional comments will be provided until the “limited review of certain aspects of the state’s election process” is completed.

Minchey, an independent auditor appointed by the bicameral Legislative Audit Subcommittee, will add a special focus on statewide signature-gathering verification processes in his biennial elections report after the subcommittee directed him to do so in a hearing on Tuesday.

GOP statewide candidates request audit

The updated audit comes in response to a request made on Monday by the Republican candidates in Utah’s three biggest statewide races. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox; his running mate, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson; Derek Brown, the GOP nominee for attorney general; and Rep. John Curtis, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate; released a statement asking for a legislative audit of the signature-gathering process that put them on the primary ballot in a bid to increase voter confidence.

“We believe this audit will confirm that proper signature verification laws and procedures were followed,” the four said in a statement. “We trust our county clerks and are committed to addressing any issues found to enhance the process.”

The Utah Lieutenant Governors Office contracts out all signature-gathering primary qualifications for statewide and multicounty races to the Davis County Clerk’s Office. Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie issued a statement on Tuesday welcoming an audit of his office’s signature verification procedures. “I reaffirm that each signature was reviewed by trained election workers and either validated or rejected in accordance with the requirements set forth by Utah Law,” McKenzie said.

In Utah, candidates for statewide races may qualify for a primary election by receiving more than 40% in their party’s nominating convention or by gathering 28,000 signatures from voters that are registered members of their party. Multiple candidates in the same race cannot share signatures from the same voters, giving the first to submit their signature packets an edge.

McKenzie’s office verifies each signature by comparing it to that in the state voter registration database and making sure it matches up with the name and address on record, he said. Signatures are only counted if they come from voters who are registered to vote for the party of the primary candidate.

McKenzie does not know exactly what an audit will entail but looks forward to helping Utah voters understand the process better.

Phil Lyman questions Utah elections

These audits come amid allegations made by state Rep. Phil Lyman about Utah’s primary process. Lyman, who is currently running a write-in campaign promoted by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian King, beat Cox at convention among a few thousand state delegates, 67.5%-32.5%, before losing in the statewide primary by more than 37,500 votes.

Lyman claims the signature-gathering path to the primary is invalid because it is different than the process laid out in state GOP bylaws (GOP officials have said that state law overrules party policy), and that Cox did not gather enough signatures for the primary, a claim based on what Lyman sees as a lack of transparency because some voters have made their information private.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lyman questioned the independence of the proposed state legislative audit.

“Announcing an audit of ‘the process’ is a smokescreen. We do not believe that Spencer Cox has the requisite number of original signatures,” Lyman said in a post on X. “We are dealing with a deeply corrupt system. This is the foxes proposing an audit of the hen house.”

Minchey pushed back against claims that his office of legislative auditors is not independent. The legislative audit department is particularly well-suited to audit elections, he said, because it has no connection to the executive branch that actually preforms elections at the county level, and certifies them at the state level.

“That gives us actually maximum independence, because we’re not part of the executive branch, where these functions reside,” Minchey said.

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Utah

3 Utah students chosen for honor ensembles in national music festival

Published

7 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

3 Utah students chosen for honor ensembles in national music festival

SPANISH FORK — Three very talented Utah high school musicians get to show their talents at a national music festival.

Palmer Brandt, 16, from Maple Mountain High School, said music speaks for him.

“Music is a way for me to communicate what I feel without having to put it into words and I think it’s an easier way for me to do that than actually talking,” he said.

Brandt and two other high school students from Utah — Jack Hales, 18, of Herriman, and Tanner Brinkerhoff, 16, of American Fork — were chosen to be part of the Music For All National Festival, which hosts the top student ensembles from across the country. The students traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, on Tuesday before enduring three long days of rehearsals to be ready for a performance on Saturday.

Brandt and Hales will be performing in the Honor Band of America, which is described by the festival as the “nation’s finest student concert honor bands.” Brandt was chosen as the only baritone saxophone player in the band, and Hales is one of the trumpet players.

“It’s a little bit scary, but also pretty cool. It’ll be really exciting to play with a lot of other really good musicians and be able to get straight to like tackling the expressive part of the music rather than just focusing on notes and rhythms,” Brandt said.

Hales said it was both surreal and exciting when he found out he had been accepted into the band. He had applied after learning about the band from someone he knew who had done it the previous year.

“I was a little nervous before going because I had a little bit of imposter syndrome, but once I got here, it felt real and exciting,” Hales said Thursday after a day of rehearsing. “Preparing was difficult because the music was very foreign to me. All the songs were so difficult, which I am not used to.”

The students in the bands were given the sheet music for the performance last month, but they knew they would only have three days to practice with the band in person once they got to the festival.

“It’s some of the hardest music I’ve ever played, it’s stupid hard actually. I’ve been looking at it a ton and trying to learn all these new things. Being able to go and play with the best kids in the country is going to be such a great experience,” Brinkheroff told KSL before arriving in Indiana.

Brinkerhoff was chosen to be part of the Jazz Band of America, dubbed “one of the top honor ensembles for young musicians in the nation.”

Brinkerhoff is the alto saxophone player for the band, but is also bringing a soprano saxophone, a clarinet and his flute to Indiana as some of the songs he has to play other instruments.

He got the email saying he had been accepted to the Jazz Band of America on Christmas Eve.

“I was super happy and started calling all my friends … it was like a little Christmas present,” he said.

Brinkerhoff said he was excited to go, but also “scared out of my mind” to perform with some of the best musicians in the country. But he also said it’s an honor to participate in such an advanced performance.

“Especially with the jazz band, Utah isn’t really a music state … it’s mostly like on the East Coast. So representing Utah, I get to tell everyone that Utah does have players and you can actually do stuff in Utah,” he said.

Hales agreed, saying it feels awesome to represent Utah’s music programs.

“Not only to show others how good I am as a player, but how good Utah is at making competent, professional-level musicians,” Hales said.

Despite knowing a week full of hourslong rehearsals and a challenging performance awaited them, the students were so happy to show off their skills and do what they love.

“Performing has always been a musical thing that I really like. I’m not a dancer or a singer or anything, so I feel like playing my instruments actually substitutes dancing or singing, it’s like another way to express (myself),” Brinkerhoff said.

Hales said he loves music because there is so much nuance that can make it hard to understand, but once you do, “it becomes one of the most powerful things you have.”

“Music has history, emotion, movement, creativity and sound, which make it just as, if not more, powerful than speaking,” Hales said.

The students’ parents couldn’t be prouder of their children. Matthew Brinkerhoff said it has been a “whirlwind,” but he just thinks it’s amazing his son gets to participate in the festival.

Kara Brandt said she is so happy her son has found his own way to communicate, adding that he has even composed some of his own music, letting people “see the world through his eyes.”

“It’s just so cool to see his genius just flow through him and to see how his hard work pays off in that excellence. He really is so dedicated. People will say, ‘He’s so talented,’ and I agree that he has a lot of talent, and it’s because he works hard. That’s why he is here and is in Honor Band of America,” she said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Utah

POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.28.26 | Utah Mammoth

Published

19 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.28.26 | Utah Mammoth

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