Nearly a full day after Utah voters cast their ballots, the state’s most populous county is still processing a massive backlog of votes. Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman told FOX 13 News that over 100,000 ballots were dropped off on Tuesday and must now be verified before they can be counted.
Verification adds time
The verification step is longer than in previous elections because the Utah State Legislature recently added new safeguards. Each ballot must be matched to a voter’s signature and the last four digits of an ID number. Those extra checks are intended to protect the integrity of the election, ensuring that every vote counted truly belongs to a registered voter.
Impact on race results
Because of the verification process, Salt Lake County officials said they will not release additional results until Thursday. As of 1:30 p.m. on election night, two statewide contests remain undecided. In U.S. House District 2, Rep. Blake Moore leads challenger Peter Crosby by roughly 12,000 votes with 68 percent of the precincts reported. In District 4, incumbent Rep. Mike Kennedy holds a 17,000‑vote advantage over Jonny Larsen, but only 56 percent of votes have been tallied.
Voters are also split on two constitutional amendments. Amendment A, which would change how voters receive information about ballot initiatives, shows a strong “For” lead with 58 percent of votes counted. Amendment B, meanwhile, appears to be opposed by a majority of those counted so far.
Flooding slows southern counties
In addition to the verification backlog, severe flooding in southern Utah is delaying results in San Juan County. The San Juan Record reported that a “perfect storm” of heavy rain, swollen rivers, and an illness affecting staff at the county election office could push final tallies back several days.
Despite these challenges, election officials remain confident that the final counts will be accurate and released as soon as verification is complete. Residents are encouraged to stay tuned to official county websites for real‑time updates.
Original reporting: FOX 13 KSTU (Salt Lake County) — read the source article.
