State auditor to conduct ‘limited review’ of certain issues in election process

SALT LAKE CITY — The Office of the State Auditor announced Tuesday it will conduct what it calls a “limited review” of certain parts of the state’s election process.

In a news release, State Auditor John Dougall said no additional comments on the matter will be issued until the review is complete. However, the review will look into the following issues: control over and disclosure of voter registration information and the validation process associated with signature-gathering by candidates.

At the conclusion of the review, a report about the findings will be issued.

The announcement of the review comes one day after four Republican nominees called for a review in an effort to push back against gubernational write-in candidate Phil Lyman.

Derek Brown, nominee for Attorney General; Rep. John Curtis, and candidate for U.S. Senate along with Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson issued a joint statement.

As statewide candidates nominated by Utah Republicans, we ask for a legislative audit of the signature-gathering process conducted by the Davis County Clerk’s Office. We believe this audit will confirm that proper signature verification laws and procedures were followed.

We trust our county clerks and are committed to addressing any issues found to enhance the process.

Also on Tuesday, Lyman went to X to issue his own statement about the review.

Utah deserves accountability from its elected officials and state agencies. Announcing an audit of ‘the process’ is a smokescreen. We do not believe that Spencer Cox has the requisite number of original signatures. At no point have we been determined to obtain a list of ‘signatures.’ We want satisfaction that requirements were met for Cox to force a primary election when there was a single Republican convention winner for the governor’s race.

Davis County clerk Brian McKenzie also responded to the request.

“I welcome this audit,” he said. “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, and I echo the statement that “we believe this audit will confirm that proper signature verification laws and procedures were followed.”