Results have been canvassed, several new and returning elected leaders are making their plans for their respective positions and the public is moving on.

But for Weber County Clerk/Auditor Ricky Hatch, there’s still a bit of business to take care of and assessments to be made. He noted there were 114,612 votes counted in Weber County for 85% turnout, compared to 89% in 2020, 86% in 2016 and 70% in 2012.

Hatch told the Standard-Examiner in an email that the election wasn’t without some issues in the county.

“The biggest snag was some printer issues at the Fairgrounds vote center, which led to long lines in the evening,” he said. We responded by sending additional equipment and personnel, and the lines became shorter. We also inadvertently published an incorrect deadline for voters whose signatures were challenged. We emailed these voters with the correct date in plenty of time for them to resolve the issue.”

However, Hatch said this is nothing new for elections.

“Every election has issues,” he said. “Always have. Always will. Election administrators know this and have backup plans for our backup plans. Given the high level of interest, the long ballot and the strong opinions of voters, I think the election played out very nicely in Weber County, in Utah, and across the nation.”

One area that saw an improvement in 2024 was in curing ballots.

“We challenged approximately 1.9% of signatures, and just over half of them were cured,” Hatch said. “We ended up with 1,015 voters who had unresolved signature issues. Each of them received a letter and all those for whom we had phone numbers and email addresses received texts and emails. Just over half of the total signature issues were resolved, which is about 10% higher than our historical average. We’ve worked hard to improve this process.”

Additionally, Hatch said there were very few instances of suspicious activity throughout the 2024 cycle.

“In every election, a handful of voters attempt to vote fraudulently,” he said. “We catch and prevent the very few attempts to vote more than once. I’ve personally called at least 10 voters where it appears that foul play was involved, and after hearing their explanations, I haven’t yet found an instance where I felt the voter was deliberately trying to cheat. We are still investigating a few instances that look suspicious.”

He even gave an example of a situation that initially raised suspicions.

“A voter checked in at the Fairgrounds using their driver license,” he said. “The poll worker printed the ballot, which automatically marks the voter’s record as having voted. Then the voter said, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you I moved last weekend. I gave you my old address!’ The poll worker correctly spoiled the ballot they had just printed and had the voter vote provisionally. The system showed that the voter voted in person and also tried to vote provisionally. It looks like fraud, but when explained, it’s an example of how the safeguards work, even in unusual situations.”

Hatch said, now that the election is over, there’s a very specific process for the ballots.

“The ballots are sealed and retained for 22 months, according to state law,” he said. “So are the envelopes and most of the other election materials. After 22 months, we are required to destroy them without unsealing them, unless they are subject to any ongoing litigation. In that case, we retain them until the litigation ends.”

He said there are more debriefs ahead with election staff, which he’s seen feel the strain of politicians who have spread baseless claims against the process.

“I have concerns about the amount of stress these elections place on my staff,” he said. “We’re a small core team surrounded by a lot of seasonal workers and poll workers. The support is tremendous, but so is the stress. Imagine needing to put on gloves and a mask every time you open the mail. Or training for an active shooter or a bomb threat. Or working for 30 days in a row, sometimes up to 20 hours per day. The crucible this team just went through was intense. They performed brilliantly, but I think we can do more to support them.”

He said these workers are essential for a smooth election process.

“I’m grateful for the incredible elections team that we have in Weber County,” he said. “They are resilient, consummate professionals and work long hours and under intense pressure without complaint.”

Hatch also had a message to the voters of Weber County.

“I’m also grateful for the fantastic voters of Weber County,” he said. “They participated in big numbers. The few voters who had to wait in line were patient, respectful and understanding. We live in a great county and a great country. I wish the public could fully recognize the extraordinary lengths we go to in order to ensure that every legally cast ballot gets counted accurately. Every process is performed in full view of the public eye, is publicly noticed and is subject to inspection and audit.  We conduct tours year-round and always welcome election observers. Whether your candidate won or lost, I hope you know that if you have any questions, you can call or email us.”

For more information on elections and voting in Weber County, visit https://www.weberelections.gov/.