Gov amends signature-gathering rules, Huntsman campaign faces trouble

SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Gary Herbert is making a big change for candidates wanting to gather signatures, suspending the rules for requiring signature-gathering to be gathered door to door.

He issued an executive order that allows for a form to be downloaded and signed at home. This means campaigns won’t have to contact people face to face to get a signature.

“This is a matter of fairness and preserving the integrity of our election process in these unusual times,” the governor said in a statement.

“By easing certain requirements of the signature-gathering process, but requiring that signatures be verified by the state after submission, this order strikes the appropriate balance in preserving a signature-gathering path to the ballot, even as Utahns follow orders and recommendations regarding social distancing,” Herbert said.

Meanwhile, Jon Huntsman Jr has more work to do in gathering signatures so he can get on Utah’s primary ballot.

Utah Policy says more than half of the signatures he submitted were deemed invalid and thrown out.  The people were either not registered to vote or not registered republicans. Their signatures didn’t match or they had already signed another candidate’s packet.

Spencer Cox was the first to get enough qualified signatures. Thomas Wright is also qualified now through the signature gathering.

The deadline for signatures is April 10.

The republican state convention is the other path to the ballot. It is on April 25 but will not be in person, it will be held virtually.

The primary is scheduled for June 23.

 

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