Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joins Washington County clerk/auditor for post-election audit

ST. GEORGE (July 8, 2022) – Can a routine public audit act as a bulwark in the fight to uphold our republic? Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson thinks so. 

Lt. Gov. Henderson, the state’s chief election officer, joined Washington County clerk/auditor Susan Lewis and her elections staff on Friday at the Clerk’s Office in St. George to attend the county’s post-election audit for the 2022 primary election.

“Across the state, Utah’s election officials are triple-checking their work and inviting the public to see the results for themselves,” Lt. Gov. Henderson said. “There is little more sacred than our right to shape the state and country at the ballot box. These post-election audits inject another important layer of transparency and accountability into the elections process in Utah.”

Utah requires all 29 county clerks to audit a randomly selected batch of ballots to verify results, confirm the accuracy of election equipment and vet the signature verification process. The audits are publicly noticed and Utahns are invited to watch the process unfold. After each audit, the county produces an audit summary report, which it then sends to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

“Utah’s elections are secure, but don’t just take our word for it,” state elections director Ryan Cowley said. “We want to share how hard we work to keep elections accurate and transparent. Audits are another important tool in our toolkit.”

By Friday afternoon, more than a dozen counties in Utah had completed their post-election audits, including Morgan, Sanpete, Salt Lake, San Juan, Carbon, Wasatch, Wayne, Sevier, Millard, Grand, Weber, Washington, Daggett and Summit counties. Lt. Gov. Henderson attended the post-election audit in Wasatch County this past Tuesday. She is slated to attend the audit in Cache County on Monday.

Utahns who have questions about elections should contact their county clerk to set up a tour. Dates, times and locations for county election audits are posted on each clerk’s website.