Public alleges signature irregularities; county clerk outlines new verification controls

Public commenters told the Davis County Commission on Jan. 27 that petition-signature processing had been consolidated and that audits uncovered verification problems, prompting the county clerk to respond publicly and outline procedural changes.

At the start of public comment, Nate Affleck of Syracuse alleged that “86% of all signatures were processed by 1 clerk” and said multiple audits and a recent high-priced audit raised concerns about verification practices. Affleck said he has receipts and records supporting his claims and warned, “There is much more I could share, but this is just a taste of the darkness lurking in the Davis County government.”

Jennifer (Jen) Garner, who also spoke during public comment, thanked commissioners for their work and urged less divisive rhetoric in political discourse. She voiced concern about signature verification error rates, saying that even a small percentage error can affect closely decided races.

A commissioner allowed a response from county elections staff. The county clerk addressed the commission and public directly, saying multiple audits had reviewed the office’s work and that the office accepts the findings and has taken steps to improve procedures. “Since the release of these audit reports, we have taken decisive and comprehensive action to address every single recommendation made,” the clerk said, describing three improvement areas: increased transparency (allowing observers and access to unredacted packet records), strengthened audits and quality-control checks (including pre-certification internal audits and verifying up to 110% of signatures to compensate for error rates), and enhanced chain-of-custody documentation.

The clerk also cited recently enacted statutory and administrative changes as drivers of the updates, referencing S.B. 164 (2025) and updated administrative rules from the lieutenant governor’s office. The clerk invited additional audits and review in the next petition cycle and said the office stands ready to answer further questions and meet with residents.

The commission did not take formal action on the allegations during the meeting. The exchange concluded with commissioners thanking the public for participation and moving on to the regular agenda.

Next steps: The clerk said the office will continue implementing the new procedures and welcomed further auditor review during the 2026 petition cycle.