Election Audits Underway

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) County clerks are now tediously un-spooling the paper-printouts of a number of electronic voting machines and crosschecking the results for accuracy. It's part of a statewide audit decreed by the Lieutenant Governor's office.

One touch-screen machine from each House Legislative district was randomly selected in what elections spokesman Michael Cragun calls quote "one more effort to insure the elections in Utah are run fairly." Salt Lake County is auditing 30 of the 75 machines statewide. Clerk Sherrie Swensen anticipates it will take a team of poll workers and temporary staff three days to complete the audit.

State officials have yet to determine what they will do if the process uncovers a discrepancy.

"That's gonna depend on the reason for the discrepancy," says Cragun. "We'll have to wait and see if that happens. And if so, why it happens to determine what the next step is."

Additional audits will also be required in races where a recount is called. The audits must be completed by next Tuesday when final election results are certified.

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