9,800 southern Utah ballots in limbo amid mail-in ballot dispute in Iron County

The Iron County Commission is contemplating not certifying more than 9,800 votes before Tuesday’s state-mandated deadline because approximately 400 mail-in ballots were postmarked after the deadline to be counted in Utah’s 2024 primary election, according to county officials.

Such a move could overturn the results in a hotly-contested congressional primary race.

On Monday, the Commission was poised to certify the election results at their regular meeting operating as the county’s board of canvassers. Instead of giving their stamp of approval, commissioners put off the vote until they hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the final day for Utah counties can certify their results.

Under Utah law, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by the day before the election. For this year’s primary, the postmark deadline was June 24.

On Friday, Iron County Commissioner Paul Cozzens wrote on social media that hundreds of ballots were not counted because they were postmarked after that deadline.

“Today I have learned that hundreds of ballots in Southern Utah have not been counted because the postal service post marked many of them late by several days, Cozzens posted on Friday. “As a county commissioner I am expected to certify the election results. I cannot, in good conscience, vote to do so on Monday while hundreds of voters follow state law, and their votes will not count.”

Cozeens wrote later that “a lot of folks reach out” after his Friday post to share they’d mailed their ballot before the deadline but later learned their vote would not count.

According to Iron County Clerk Jon Whittaker, after they were mailed, ballots went to Las Vegas for processing and several added to the mail on the 24th were not stamped until the following day because they arrived in Nevada after midnight.

“Because of the 340-mile journey all mail must take to the Vegas sort center and back, they were likely stamped after midnight, even though they entered the mail stream on the 24th,” Whittaker said during Monday’s meeting. “This is maddening. I feel that over 400 voices were silenced for no good reason.”

Some members of the public used the controversy to attack the state’s universal vote-by-mail system, saying the situation illustrated why it needed to be scrapped.

”This is a big deal. If we can’t trust the post office, why are we using them? I think we have to back off this universal mail-in voting. It’s broken,” Blaine Nay told commissioners.

Camille Topham said she and her family mailed their ballots at the Enoch City post box on June 23 as they were leaving for vacation and were shocked to get letters saying they were rejected for not having a timely postmark.

“Why are we sending out ballots out of state? Isn’t that an opportunity for fraud? I don’t get why Nevada has control over our ballots,” Topham said during Monday’s commission meeting. “I’ve faltered in my faith in the election system for quite some time, but with the U.S. Postal Service, I have no faith anymore.”

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9,800 southern Utah ballots in limbo amid mail-in ballot dispute in Iron County

9,800 southern Utah ballots in limbo amid mail-in ballot dispute in Iron County

9,800 southern Utah ballots in limbo amid mail-in ballot dispute in Iron County

9,800 southern Utah ballots in limbo amid mail-in ballot dispute in Iron County

9,800 southern Utah ballots in limbo amid mail-in ballot dispute in Iron County