ELECTIONS

How does Utah ensure election security ahead of election season?

May 10, 2024, 8:16 AM | Updated: 8:33 am

State leaders say the Utah election security system is strong....

A ballot drop box is pictured outside of the Davis County Library's South Davis Branch in Bountiful on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Utah leaders say the state's election security system is strong. But how does Utah make sure its elections are secure? (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)

(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah leaders say the state’s election security system is strong leading into this year’s election.

According to Morgan & May Public Affairs partner and KSL At Night host Taylor Morgan, a computer will verify the voter’s signature before a Utah ballot even gets opened in a voting center. The computer signature verification compares signatures against as many as a dozen other ones from the same person. Additionally, some signitures may even get a manual review.

“In our larger first-class and second-class counties, those offices have received training from the FBI in forensics when it comes to identifying signatures,” Morgan said.

However, one frequent concern has been ballot harvesting. That’s when somebody delivers someone else’s ballot to a ballot box.

Utah Valley University’s Herbert Institute also looked at election security in the state. It found that Utah has criminalized ballot harvesting. The state also requires all voting machines to be checked multiple times before voters even lay fingers on them.

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How does Utah ensure election security ahead of election season?