WEBER COUNTY — We’re well into the final stretch before Election Day, and it’s shaping up to be a big one.

As the election approaches Tuesday, people in Weber County are continuing to submit their ballots either via mail, drop box or early voting which concluded Friday, while others will take advantage of in-person voting on Election Day itself. Officials say they’re doing all they can to make sure every ballot is safely delivered and transparently counted.

Weber County Clerk/Auditor Ricky Hatch told the Standard-Examiner in an email Friday that, as of Thursday night, 53,294 ballots have been received, representing 40% of voters in the county — and he has some high expectations for the final count.

“We expect a 90% turnout this election,” he said.

Of those ballots submitted, he said 74% have utilized drop boxes throughout the county versus 24% being received via mail and 2% coming from the first three days of early voting.

Despite the 2% rate for early voting, Hatch described the turnout as “brisk.”

“Lines are short,” he said. “People are positive and respectful. We’re seeing a lot of first-time voters.”

While drop boxes have proven popular in Weber County and beyond, they also have become a target of conspiracy theories and malfeasance. Earlier this week, several ballots were damaged or destroyed by fires in arson incidents in Oregon and Washington.

Hatch said there are many safeguards to prevent tampering with the county’s drop boxes and their contents.

“We use fire suppression devices and frequently pick up ballots from drop boxes,” he said. “All drop boxes are under 24/hour surveillance. Teams of election workers pick up the ballots, log in and scan the drop box at every pickup, so we know exactly where they are and when they pick up the ballots. We use GPS tracking to identify their movements and path during pickup. Teams are randomly assigned right before going out to pick them up. Prenumbered, tamper-evident security seals are used when the ballots are picked up, and are verified immediately when received at the ballot processing center.”

He said there haven’t been any instances of attempted tampering against ballot boxes in Weber County, but his office has plans in place if something were to happen.

“If a box were tampered with, we would first identify as many of the envelopes as possible,” he said. “If even one of them is not identified, we’ll reach out through the media, social media, and other methods to let voters know which drop box was damaged, and the window of time that ballots may have been affected.”

Hatch encouraged voters to utilize trackmyballot.utah.gov/voter, which allows voters to be notified when their ballot has been received by the county office. Ballots will only start to be counted on Election Day.

However, some ballots arrive with signature issues that are flagged by the election office.

Hatch said efforts are made to give the voter an opportunity to correct and confirm their ballots.

“If a voter’s signature doesn’t match, we mail the voter a letter,” he said. “If we have their email and / or phone number, we also email and / or text them. They have until November 12th to correct the issue. They can correct it by coming in person, or by using the QR code and link in the instructions we give to them.”

Then there’s Election Day itself and two in-person voting sites will be available for Weber County residents — Weber County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall at 1000 N. 1200 West in Ogden and the Ogden Valley Branch Library at 131 S. 7400 East in Huntsville.

Hatch said it’s best to have a plan in place for Election Day, if that’s when you plan to vote or submit your ballot.

“What will you do if there’s bad weather, transportation issues, overtime at work? Just make sure you have a backup plan,” he said. “Bring ID to the polls and be prepared to wait in line. If you still have the ballot that was mailed to you, you can bring that and drop it off at the vote center without having to wait in line.”

He added that the end of Election Night doesn’t mean the process is over.

“Keep in mind, in Utah, and across the nation, results shown on election night are NOT official,” he said. “There is a 2-week period where we triple check our reconciliations, verify provisional voters, conduct additional audits, and ensure all of the laws and requirements are met before the results are finalized. It is not uncommon for winners to change during this period, as we count the votes turned in at the last minute. Our processing is always open to public observation. We love having observers participate!”

For more information on the election in Weber County, visit https://www.weberelections.gov.