(Rick Egan, pool, file)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s Attorney General is joining other Republican AGs to look into claims of improper ballot processing or voter misconduct. This move is sparking furious backlash toward Sean Reyes from his critics.
On Friday morning, Utah AG Sean Reyes tweeted that he would be taking personal leave to “help prepare and support litigation in several states dealing with compromised elections.” Election workers are still processing ballots in Georgia, Arizona and Michigan even though President Trump’s campaign team legally challenged how those ballots are processed. Reyes went to Nevada to work on lawsuits, there.
Many Twitter users blasted Reyes’ comments, saying there was no evidence to show any kind of voter fraud. One woman writes, “For you to participate in an effort to undermine the voice of the people is inappropriate at best. Certainly, you could better use your time doing your job here in Utah.” Another Twitter user writes, “Perpetrating falsehoods, spending time out of state to foment divisive splits, violence and the rest? Not ethical. We’re watching you Reyes.”
State Senator Luz Escamilla responded with just one word and a GIF.
One of the earliest critics was Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, who says Reyes’ decision was “unnecessary agitation.”
“Our right to vote transcends political affiliation. It’s a sacred right and constitutional right that we have about the integrity of American democracy,” Gill says.
He also calls this move motivated by partisanship, and an insult to people on both sides of the aisle who have been working to ensure the election process is fair.
Gill says, “Let’s not add anything nefarious to it unless we have something actual to really do it. It can’t be because ‘my guy didn’t win.’”
Later in the day, Reyes clarified his statements, saying he didn’t believe every vote in the election was fraudulent. However, if the actions taken by some people led to proper votes being rejected or improper votes being counted, it compromises the overall fairness of the process.
“Some mistakes were likely made innocently. Others appear very intentional. But, in either case, we should carefully review and remedy any such irregularities. For the sake of our nation and whomever [sic] wins this election, let’s make sure it is done fairly everywhere,” his statement reads.
While many people say there’s no evidence of voter fraud, Republican Attorneys General Association National Press Secretary Kelly Laco says there is evidence of other problems that may have led to processing mistakes. For instance, she says there was a printing error in Wisconsin that made it so machines couldn’t accept ballots. Also, in Michigan, there were major errors in the numbers one county sent to the Secretary of State’s Office, according to the Detroit Free Press.
She adds, “If you look in North Carolina, there were some ballots postmarked on Election Day that won’t be accepted until November 12th.”
She says their goal is not to exclude any ballots, but to make sure the process is fair.
“All legal votes will be counted and there will be confidence in the outcome of the election,” Laco says.
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Elections officials say voter fraud not widespread in Utah, still taking steps to prevent it