Lt. Gov. Cox Statement on United Utah Party Order
SALT LAKE CITY (Aug. 2, 2017) – Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox has released the following statement in response to the Memorandum Decision and Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction for Case No. 2:17-cv-00655-DN-PMW, United Utah Party v. Spencer J. Cox:
Today, Judge Nuffer issued an order placing Jim Bennett on the November special election ballot. My office will comply with that order. Our decisions were never specific to Mr. Bennett or the United Utah Party, or intended to disfavor them in anyway. We have and will always encourage active participation in the election process by all political parties, prospective and existing, and work diligently to assist them and to make participation accessible to all. My office has certified eight new political parties over the last decade. The actions of my office were consistent with existing Utah statutes and with the sole interest of running an orderly election based on the law. It is unprecedented to place a political party candidate on the ballot before the political party is certified, and without a court order we could not make special exceptions for one candidate. While we may not agree with the judge’s reasoning, we do not intend to appeal his decision.
We wish Mr. Bennett and all candidates the best in the upcoming election.
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Utah Lt. Governor’s Office to Host Public
Demonstration of New Voting Equipment Under Consideration for Purchase
What: Five Voting Equipment manufacturers responded to a recent Request for Proposal issued by the Lt. Governor’s Office for a statewide cooperative contract to purchase new voting equipment for use by Utahns in upcoming elections. This equipment is under consideration for purchase as part of a coordinated effort to replace aging voting equipment statewide. As part of the evaluation process, the public is invited to test the equipment and provide feedback to the Lt. Governor’s Office. Each manufacturer will showcase their equipment, and will be available to answer questions regarding their systems. Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox invites all interested citizens to attend.
When: Open for public input Wed., August 2, 2017 from 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Contact Mark Thomas, Dir. of Elections for media interviews or questions 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Who: Lt. Governor’s Office
General Public
Where:
Utah State Capitol
Hall of Governors (First Floor)
350 N. State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Note: Voting Equipment Companies under consideration of the RFP include: Clear Ballot Group, Inc., of Boston, MA, Dominion Voting, of Denver, CO, Election Systems & Software, of Omaha, NE, Hart InterCivic of Austin, TX and Unisyn Voting Solutions, Inc., of Vista, CA.
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