Davis County Clerk: Jona Whitesides vs. Brian McKenzie
Learn about the Republican Primary election for Davis County Clerk—and the importance of clerks.
About this position
Most citizens don’t pay attention to their local county clerk race—but they should. The county clerk is an essential, full-time position managing vital records (birth, death, marriages), passports, public records, employees, and more.
Importantly, county clerks administer elections and are responsible for keeping voter rolls accurate and up-to-date as well as carrying out state law. The Davis County Clerk is responsible for election administration, records management, public services (passports & marriage licenses), transparency in government, and legal compliance for Utah’s third-most populous county, with over 375,000 residents.
Watch this video or read our state code about the duties of county clerks to learn more.
Candidates
Top priorities come from candidates’ official websites. We view this guide as merely a starting point. Please research more and reach out to the candidates directly to learn more about their issues and experience.
Find the values and attributes we’re looking for in candidates.
Jonathan “Jona” Whitesides
Lifelong Utahn, lived in Davis County for the last 23 years. MA in business. Background in auditing, finance, and public relations. Worked 18 years with the Utah Division of Emergency Management, and the last 4 years for Rocky Mountain Power.
Top priorities (from website): transparency, accountability, rule of law, public trust, leadership beyond tenure, protecting local control
Insights: Mr. Whitesides wants to increase transparency in the county clerk’s office. He’s interested in looking for opportunities beyond what’s being done currently to keep voters abreast of new developments.
For example, he’d like to provide information between ballots being mailed out and election day, such as how many ballots have been received by mail and through ballot drop-boxes. He’d like to have more open house/tour opportunities for county residents. He’s a strong supporter of the caucus-convention system, opted not to gather signatures, and has reservations about candidates’ pursuing both “paths” (his opponent used both signatures and convention to qualify for the primary.
Learn more about Mr. Whitesides in this article.
Brian McKenzie
Davis County resident for 40 years. Degree in business. 20 years working in the Davis County Clerk’s office, including 10 years as Chief Deputy Clerk and afterwards elected County Clerk (incumbent since 2022).
Top priorities (from website): transparency, election & data security, voter confidence, continual improvement, accuracy, responsiveness
Insights: Mr. McKenzie has extensive experience working in the clerk’s office and a track record of making improvements. A few examples: under his direction, the clerk’s office created and publishes candidate conflict-of-interest disclosure forms on website. Established an open meetings website for the County Commission. Created a County Data Privacy Program.
We’ve found the clerk’s office under Mr. McKenzie’s direction very responsive to residents. For instance, they discontinued phone recordings and menus so those calling the clerk’s office actually talk to a person. Mr. McKenzie holds citizen audits and created an election observation area to increase transparency and public engagement. The clerk’s office also hosts open houses (scheduled and by request) for any residents wanting to learn more and ask questions about election security.
Learn more about Mr. McKenzie in this article.
Our Recommendation
We strongly support Brian McKenzie as the Republican candidate in this race. He’s known as a knowledgeable clerk, who other clerks across the state turn to with questions.
Mr. McKenzie is continually introducing improvements in the way the office operates. We believe that in the current environment of (unfounded) skepticism about the security of our elections, this is not the time to retire someone doing a fantastic job in favor of someone who may be otherwise competent who doesn’t have the experience and wealth of knowledge so valuable for running our elections.
What’s next?
This race is uncontested in the general election this fall. The winner of the Republican primary will be the next Davis County Clerk.