Here’s what’s being done to improve election security in Utah
Oct 17, 2024, 7:00 AM
Thousands of ballots sit in boxes as Utah County election workers process the mail-in ballots for the midterm elections on Nov. 6, 2018 in Provo, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images)
(George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — Ballots should be showing up in your mailbox. County clerks say if you plan on voting by mail, there’s no need to worry about election security.
Weber County Clerk and Auditor Ricky Hatch joined KSL at Night to explain the security measures the state has in place to make sure votes are counted properly.
In Utah, voters can choose to mail back their ballot, put it in a drop box, drop it off at a polling station, or vote in person. Hatch said it wasn’t easy making sure that everyone had all of these options.
“We have been really working hard over the past 10 years when vote-by-mail was first implemented in Utah,” said Hatch. “We’re just very cautious, and we’ve done incremental improvements.”
Related: As ballots are sent out, what can Utah voters expect from the 2024 election?
After working with the Legislature, legislative auditors, and consultants, Hatch said they were able to implement multiple layers of safeguards.
One of those safeguards is auditing their ballot scanners and the signature verification process.
“We do these audits in full view of the public. A key component of auditing is independence, and having to do it in front of the public helps maintain that level of independence,” said Hatch.
The unique number on your ballot is another security measure. That number is not just unique to you, but also to this election and that envelope, said Hatch.
“If you lost your ballot … or if you were trying to be sneaky and request for another one, we would have to inactivate or spoil that unique number, and the system generates a new one. It won’t generate a new number until the first one is spoiled. So if you try to vote that original one, our system would flag it.”
If you choose to vote by mail, make sure to send your ballot back with enough time for the post office to stamp it at least the day before Election Day. You can also leave it in a drop box up until 8 p.m. on Election Night.
Related: What is Franked Mail and how could it affect an election?
