Happy Election Day! We hope you have already voted—if so, thank you. If not, there are still four hours left to cast your ballot. You can find information about many candidates, judges, and ballot amendments in our 2026 voter guide.1
Important: if you never received a ballot, recently moved to Utah, or know someone who isn’t yet registered but should be eligible, they can likely still vote. Utah law allows same-day voter registration—so it’s not too late to register and participate before polls close. See Utah’s voter ID requirements and locate your nearest polling place.
However you vote, remember that voters must drop off ballots or be in line before 8pm if they want their vote to count. And we do!
What we hope for when results are announced: free and fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power. An election filled with integrity. High voter participation would also be great, and of course we have hope for needed change both locally and nationally.
Election integrity has dominated our national conversation for much of the past decade (we’ve written about it before). We have two main ways to ensure election integrity:2
1: Making sure that only eligible voters can participate
2: Ensuring that every eligible voter is able to cast their vote and have it count
Voters often focus only on the first. But for those who value the right to vote guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, protecting voter access is equally essential.
Preventing illegitimate votes
Preventing voter fraud is undeniably important. It is imperative that election clerks update and verify voter rolls: this is done weekly, if not more frequently, in Utah. It is also good to have independent audits, to make sure voting machines are accurate and not compromised, and to build in safeguards for the system.
Utah elections have layers upon layers of safeguards: 24/7 cameras, hidden trackers in ballot boxes, multiple election workers putting official seals around ballots to prevent tampering, rigorous signature-matching, machines that don’t connect to the internet, and much more.
The good news is this kind of voter fraud—someone voting illegitimately—is exceedingly rare and is usually caught. A comprehensive 2023 audit of two million Utah voters only found two illegitimate votes, not enough to change results in any race. And yes, that’s two too many; election officials have already taken steps to prevent this in the future. At least in Utah County, the biggest source of voter fraud is parents voting on behalf of their missionary kids… don’t do it!
Promoting legitimate votes
Avoiding voter suppression is just as important to election integrity and unfortunately far less protected. Voter suppression is also more likely to change election results. When politicians or parties add barriers to voting, block legitimate voters from casting ballots, or attempt to keep those ballots from being counted—all actions we have witnessed during the past decade—this undermines the integrity of our elections.
During Jim Crow, voter suppression took the form of poll taxes and citizenship tests. Today it includes actions like moving up registration deadlines, removing drop boxes from convenient locations, banning passing out water in line, and generally making voting more difficult. These actions often keep United States citizens from exercising their constitutional rights.
America’s enemies love this. Our foreign adversaries actively deploy campaigns to keep Americans from feeling like their votes matter. That includes propaganda about how voting isn’t safe, implying voters shouldn’t trust results or even cast our own ballots.
Please—don’t let them win! Your vote really matters.
What does election integrity look like?
When folks claim to care about election integrity, we should ask if they walk the walk. We admire leaders who don’t just work on preventing illegitimate votes—although they absolutely should do this)—but who also ensure that all eligible voters have the opportunity to cast their ballot.
People who genuinely care about election integrity don’t demonize voting technology while withholding funds to update election security. They don’t intimidate people away from the polls. They don’t compromise the personal security of ordinary citizens working or volunteering as election officials. They don’t file lawsuits to stop legitimate votes from being counted. They don’t pressure political allies to find them votes. They don’t make claims (or lawsuits) that amount to “it’s only fair if my side wins.” And they do NOT ask their supporters to “cheat like hell” so they can win.
Those who do the above action cares far more about winning than election integrity. Leadership means protecting free and fair elections, even when our side doesn’t win.
Those in power who truly care about election integrity don’t just complain about “fraud,” they work to prevent fraud from happening. They budget funds to increase voting security measures: new machines, more poll workers, better practices. They support election cybersecurity measures. They invite international election observers—this is a real thing in democracies around the world—to observe and verify election results. They look at data, not just rhetoric, around voting issues. They promote turnout via all legitimate methods of voting. They stand up for states’ rights to run elections and US citizens’ rights to cast their ballot.
True leaders secure Americans’ constitutional rights to participate in our representative democracy. In our view, nothing could be more patriotic.
May we hold our leaders accountable to truly supporting election integrity, and may we uphold it ourselves in the people we vote for, today and always. God bless the USA!
We also recommend KUER’s quick voter guide for finding good information in a jiffy.
Setting aside foreign election influence for the moment, which certainly plays a part in modern American politics—in 2016 and more recently, on both sides of the political aisle. (Recently, and unfortunately, some top American leaders like the president and vice president have also blatantly tried to influence election outcomes for autocrats like Victor Orbán).