In the upcoming midterms, Utahns will cast their vote for the leaders who will run the state’s future elections — county clerks.
County clerks serve in many different county roles, from issuing marriage licenses to counting ballots. When it comes to voting, not only do they run local elections, but county clerks also oversee elections of state and federal candidates within their jurisdictions.
To Ricky Hatch, the Weber County clerk, running these elections is one of the most important parts of his job.
“It’s crucial that the elections be performed properly, in a controlled manner, accurately and objectively,” Hatch said. “That’s up to the county clerk. That’s really, really why (county clerk races are) so crucial.”
The county clerk’s office handles registering voters, setting up polling locations, processing ballots, conducting audits and, ultimately, counting votes.
The county clerk’s office also tracks financial disclosures for local candidates. Local candidates have the option of filing financial disclosures with the lieutenant governor’s office but, according to Hatch, all local candidates still file with their county clerk.
Brian McKenzie, the chief deputy clerk for Davis County and Republican candidate for Davis county clerk, said voters not understanding that it is their county clerk and staff who actually run elections is a common misconception.
“And maybe a lot of citizens have not really considered asking that question, who is the person that’s actually counting your vote?” McKenzie said.
Hatch, who is running unopposed for reelection, stressed that it’s important for voters to understand who their county clerk candidates are because of the direct impact the office has on citizens’ daily lives.
“If you own property, you are going to interact with the county clerk,” Hatch said. “If you vote, you interact with the county clerk. If you want to get married, you interact with the county clerk.”
While running elections, county clerk offices work closely with the lieutenant governor, who oversees elections statewide.
Ryan Cowley, director of elections for the lieutenant governor’s office, said the county clerks are the ones “in the trenches” for elections, while the lieutenant governor’s office is in a supervisory role.
“We’re not counting ballots, we’re not processing ballots, but we’re observing that process happen and making sure that it’s happening correctly,” Cowley said.
The elections director said part of their oversight is visiting clerks’ offices during logic accuracy tests, observing ballots being processed and seeing if any improvements are needed.
McKenzie said this relationship between the clerk’s office and the lieutenant governor’s office creates an environment where the local officials are doing the work while having a separate, independently elected official provide oversight.
“Collectively, we work for a common purpose and a common goal of running great, efficient elections,” he said.
Since the 2020 election, election officials have experienced heightened scrutiny, which McKenzie said has made running elections more difficult.
“It’s hard when you put your blood, sweat and tears into something to make sure that it’s done right and it’s done with high quality,” McKenzie said. “And then somebody comes behind you and criticizes everything you’ve done, not because you’ve done anything wrong, but because the results weren’t what they wanted.”
Cowley said 17 out of 29 county clerks had left their positions since 2020, and there has been a higher turnover rate among election workers in general.
Out of the 28 county clerk races in Utah this year, at least four county clerk candidates have floated conspiracies about the 2020 election.
Sherrie Swensen, the outgoing Salt Lake County clerk, said she finds the increased scrutiny towards election officials “disheartening” and something her office has never seen before.
Swensen, who is retiring after 32 years as clerk of Utah’s most populous county, said her office has many people who “work very hard” to ensure elections are run smoothly, fairly and accurately. Because of misinformation, she said, people make unfounded and untrue allegations about the process.
While some misconceptions come from misinformation, Hatch said a lot of misunderstanding is due to the complexity of the election process. Utah’s election code is more than 500 pages.
“It’s a pretty complex operation,” he said. “And I wouldn’t expect anyone not involved in it on a daily basis to have a full grasp of it.”
Hatch said he believes most election officials across the country are “very impartial” when doing their jobs.
“We’re your neighbors and we go to church together and we coach your little league teams,” Hatch said. “I mean … we’re just doing our job the way we feel is best.”
