Controversy flares in Utah House race on eve of Davis County Republican Party convention

FARMINGTON — One of the Republican candidates for a Utah House seat serving Davis County is crying foul over moves within the Davis County Republican Party to review recent balloting for delegates on the eve of the party's convention.

Delegates pick party nominees for office, and Bob Stevenson, a Republican hopeful for the District 16 Utah House seat, filed a complaint with the party alleging "potential misconduct and improprieties" related to two District 16 delegates. Davis County Republican Party delegates meet Saturday to weigh in on the GOP hopefuls seeking a range of posts serving the county in elections this year, including Stevenson and Trevor Lee, who Stevenson is challenging.

In a statement, Stevenson said two District 16 delegates were removed, apparently "in response to a last-minute delegate challenge by my opponent, Trevor Lee." They were subsequently reinstated, Stevenson said, but he's still fuming. Lee is seeking his third term in the District 16 seat, and in Stevenson, a Davis County commissioner and former Layton mayor, he faces a stiff challenge.

"This is absolutely outrageous and another egregious example of a lack of transparency, and not following established bylaws by party officials," Stevenson said in a statement. Even if the two delegates were reinstated, the turn of events calls into question "the integrity of the caucus convention system."

Republican candidates in Utah seeking a spot on the party's primary ballot can earn a place via a vote of support from delegates at the convention of local party officials, underscoring the important role of delegates. Candidates can also collect signatures from registered voters to secure a spot on the primary ballot. Primary voting in Utah culminates on June 23.

In the race on the GOP side for the District 16 seat, now held by Lee, Stevenson has already collected enough signatures to secure a place on the primary ballot, but he is also seeking his party's nomination. Lee, target of accusations of abuse of power that publicly emerged Wednesday, has not collected signatures and will need support at Saturday's convention to earn a spot. Abigail Treasure is running as a Democrat for the post, which covers part of Layton and some surrounding areas.

Don Guymon, chairman of the Davis County Republican Party, said the party has an established process to allow for the review of balloting for delegates, the focus of Stevenson's concern. That process occurred in the review of the two District 16 delegates, who, he confirmed, remain in their posts, though a third, who he didn't name, was replaced.

"There are a number of people in legislative District 16 that filed a complaint," concerned with how absentee ballots were counted for delegates on March 17, when they were picked, he said. "Seven precincts were raised as having questions. After that review, one delegate was impacted."

In response to Stevenson's charges that the party lacks transparency, Guymon reiterated that the party has established processes to contend with challenges and follows those processes. Moreover, he doesn't know if the challenged delegates back Stevenson or Lee.

Lee, for his part, charged that there were "credentialing issues" at the March 17 caucus and that he contested what he believed to be fraudulent absentee ballots. "The party did an investigation, and I haven't heard what happened. These two people being disqualified and put back on is news to me," he said in a message Thursday when queried on the matter.

In his complaint, Stevenson said District 16 delegates Steven Price and Dale Bowker were told on April 10 that they were being replaced stemming from issues with the eligibility of some absentee ballots cast in the March 17 caucus. The next day, they were told that the changes were being challenged and that they might remain in their posts after all.

Because of the twists and turns, Stevenson, in his challenge, said the Davis County Republican Party "disenfranchised Republican voters who followed party rules and submitted absentee ballots." Moreover, any change in delegates would hamper the ability of candidates to lobby for their support ahead of Saturday's convention.

"If the party has made changes and has intentionally failed to notify candidates of these changes for any period of time, the party has intentionally disadvantaged candidates and deprived the substitute delegates of any opportunity to meaningfully engage with candidates prior to the convention," Stevenson wrote in his complaint.

In his statement, Stevenson also took issue with an endorsement by a Davis County Republican Party executive committee member of a slate of GOP hopefuls in the county, including Lee. According to party bylaws, executive committee members and others holding party offices are to remain publicly neutral, he said.

"This is another clear violation of party officials not playing by their own rules. It is another example why a flood of registered Republicans is switching to unaffiliated status," said Stevenson. "They can't trust the system."

Guymon confirmed that party bylaws contain a "neutrality requirement" and outline a process to review complaints like Stevenson's. He wouldn't say if the issue Stevenson cited had been referred to the party's ethics committee for review.

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