Who is Lucifer Everylove? The presidential candidate only on Utah ballots

SALT LAKE CITY — When you get your ballot in the mail, you might see a name for a presidential candidate that doesn’t look like the rest.

His name is Lucifer “Justin Case” Everylove, but his friends just call him Lucy.

Yes, he is a real candidate. He’s only running in Utah even though he primarily lives in New Hampshire. He said he spends half his time in Utah.

“The ballot’s not fake,” Ryan Cowley, director of elections in the lieutenant governor’s office, told KSL TV. “It’s a real ballot. Everybody has to meet the criteria to be a candidate. This individual did that. So they’re allowed to be on the ballot with their nickname.”

Callers say name appearing on ballot is “unprofessional,” “shameful” 

A handful of people have called or emailed KSL NewsRadio, saying it seems unprofessional and shameful to have someone with that name on the ballot.

But Everylove said he hopes people can look beyond his name.

“There were over a thousand people in Utah, who could look past it,” said Everylove. “And realize that, you know, there is no name, there is no spirit, there is no being beyond the boundaries of love.”

Meeting the qualifications to get on the ballot

The lieutenant governor’s office said Everylove met all the qualifications to be on the state’s ballot as an unaffiliated presidential candidate: he gathered 1,000 signatures and paid a $500 fee.

“He just jumped through the hoops to get on the Utah ballot and we had to put it on there,” Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson said. “He probably filed up at the state, so it’s on the ballot. But I doubt he’s going to get many votes.”

Everylove said the name “Lucifer” is exactly what’s on his passport.

Utah’s history with nicknames on the ballot

In the past, Utah tried to prohibit some nicknames from appearing on the ballot.

In 2021, State Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, ran a bill to try to make sure names on the ballot are given names. That, or nicknames they’ve gone by for five or more years with proof.

The Deseret News reported that when he ran the bill, McKell said election policies were vague on guidelines for names on the ballot.

Cowley told KSL TV the lieutenant governor’s office is working with the legislature this year to take another look to establish “good policies around what is a qualified nickname.”

Why Lucifer Everylove is running for president

Everylove – who said he’s an author and artist  – said he’s running in Utah for two reasons.

First, he was inspired by Utah native Evan McMullin’s 2016 presidential run.

“There was a guy named Evan McMullin who ran and he ran because he wanted to get people alternative to the other two candidates,” Everylove said. “There were a lot of people that just couldn’t stomach voting for either of them.”

He said he’s also inspired by the people in Utah.

“The only […] place I’ve really found that kind of devotion in the United States and that kind of kindness is in Utah,” Everylove said. “And I think that the people of Utah, at least, for your ideological persuasion have a different moral bend. You know, people in Utah are very kind to immigrants for instance, and that’s something that’s not really happening elsewhere throughout the country.”

He said that ultimately the election is up to the electoral college, so he listed his electors as the wives of Temple Presidents for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because he believes they will make “moral decisions.”

KSL NewsRadio called the listed electors that Everylove sent to the lieutenant governor’s office. Only one answered.

She said she has nothing to do with Everylove’s campaign.

And the advice from the Utah County Clerk on voting for president?

“I’d investigate who’s running for president,” Davidson said. “Not vote for him … vote your conscience.”

Related:

• Voter registration deadline quickly approaches
• Ballots hit mailboxes, Salt Lake County ballots two pages