Davis County opens ballot-counting process to public view

FARMINGTON — As early voting begins across Utah, election officials are taking steps to increase transparency and public confidence in the voting process.

"Throughout the state, there's 29 county clerks. We administer the elections. We're the boots on the ground," Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie said.

In Davis County, voters can watch ballots being processed through large viewing windows installed at the county clerk's office.

Mail ballots are already arriving at the clerk's office, where temporary election workers are processing them ahead of Election Day.

Emilie Farmer, a temporary election worker who first served during the 2024 presidential election, said she volunteered to learn more about the election process.

"I think it's interesting to see how hands-on everything is," Farmer said. "The employees are really trying to do their best to make sure that everything is correct. I think a lot of the things that we do help make sure that everybody's votes are counted and the people that can vote are the ones that are voting," Farmer said.

While Utah allows registered voters to observe the ballot counting process, McKenzie's office is taking steps toward greater transparency.

About 18 months ago, he had 4-by-4-foot windows installed at the clerk's office and moved election operations nearby so the public could observe ballot processing.

"We moved all of our operations within 6 feet or less of these large windows," McKenzie said. "People can get up close and watch what's happening."

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McKenzie said transparency is especially important at a time when many voters have questions or concerns about elections.

"In an environment where so many people have questions about elections, what we hope is that people walk away feeling like their questions were answered," he said. "We want people to come and ask those questions and have a personal experience in elections."

When asked about efforts to ensure only eligible citizens cast ballots, McKenzie said it is something they've worked to safeguard in Utah for years. He pointed to the voter registration citizenship audit conducted through the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office.

After cross-referencing more than 2 million records, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's office said they only found 27 confirmed noncitizens.

"Well over 99% of our voters have been confirmed U.S. citizens," McKenzie said. "In the 20 years that I've been here at the county, we've identified five noncitizens that have gotten registered to vote. All five of those individuals have been removed from our voter registration rolls. If there was a potential criminal act, those records have been turned over to our county attorney."

Davis County has more than 200,000 active registered voters and officials are projecting about 60% turnout this year. Most voters, McKenzie said, will use their by mail ballots, with roughly half returning them through the postal system and half using drop boxes.

McKenzie also expressed confidence in the county's ballot-counting machines, noting they are not connected to the internet and remain under 24/7 video surveillance.

"We have locks and security seals all in place to ensure that once that equipment is tested and it's in use, it's protected 24/7. And then at the end, of course, we audit everything making sure that nothing was changed, nothing could've potentially been manipulated so that we can have that confidence in the results that the machines give us," McKenzie said.

Utah voters must ensure their ballots are received by their county clerk's office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

For more information, visit vote.utah.gov.

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