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Long lines, late-night results and lack of ink mark a chaotic Election Day in Utah: Here’s what you missed.

The state’s first round of early returns weren’t published until after 10 p.m. — more than two hours after polls officially closed, and just minutes after the state’s last voters cast ballots.

A chaotic Election Day in Republican-dominated Utah came to a close with few surprise results.

Voters across the state faced long lines and waited hours to cast ballots — with some in Utah and Washington counties still queued nearly two hours after polls officially closed at 8 p.m. Utah County, whose clerk encouraged in-person voting, also battled empty magenta ink cartridges and a lack of paper in order to print the necessary emergency ballots.

These holdups meant the Beehive State’s first early returns weren’t published until 10:15 p.m., after the lieutenant governor vowed to keep results under wraps until all Utahns in line had voted.

Early returns, as of 11:30 p.m., showed Republican Gov. Spencer Cox was victorious in his second (and apparently final) bid for governor, beating out both Democratic challenger Brian King and Republican Phil Lyman’s write-in campaign.

U.S. Rep. John Curtis, a Republican, cruised to victory and will fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by Mitt Romney, who did not run for reelection. Republican Michael Kennedy will take Curtis’ old job.

Here’s how the other races stand:

For live election results, visit sltrib.com/politics/election.

For a recap from Tribune journalists reporting throughout Tuesday, check sltrib.com/news/politics/2024/11/05/utah-election-live-updates-2024.


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