Davis County clerk candidate Jonah Whitesides faults 2024 signature procedures, urges reviews of election systems

Jonah Whitesides, a candidate for Davis County Clerk, told members of the Davis County Conservatives that he would prioritize restoring procedural transparency and election integrity if elected.

"At the time when this election was coming up there was not a current contract in place," Whitesides said, citing the county commission's July 2023 renewal and his contention that the lieutenant governor's office did not execute the agreement until March of the following year. "Operating without that contract in place ... raises more questions of really what was going on at the time." He said he filed public-records requests to document packet submission and routing dates.

Whitesides raised specific concerns about the 2024 gubernatorial primary signature-verification process, saying legislative and state audits identified breaks in the chain of custody and that some petition packets "went directly to the lieutenant governor's office" rather than to the attorney general's office for potential conflict-of-interest cases. He described the audit findings as noting that some packets were temporarily missing and later found.

The candidate told the panel he would probably decline a contract to perform signature verification for the lieutenant governor's office unless a revised agreement fully covered the county's costs and provided sufficient transparency. "I would work with the commission and determine ... does this instill or take away from public trust?" Whitesides said.

When asked about signature-verification technology, Whitesides said the county should commission an independent, outside review of systems and processes before relying solely on automated verification. He acknowledged incremental legislative changes since 2024 and said some improvements came from the legislature rather than from the clerk's office.

On mail-in ballots, Whitesides expressed concern about household coercion and the limits of county authority to alter statewide ballot rules. "I would like to [change mail-ballot law], but that statutory authority doesn't lie with me," he said, adding that county-level interim controls could be developed with the county attorney and commission while lawmakers consider statutory changes.

Whitesides closed by offering international comparisons, citing federal voter-ID systems in Mexico and Ecuador as examples of stricter identification and in-person voting practices. He said that where statute permits, the county should consider paper ballots until electronic systems demonstrate sufficient security.

The interview ended without any formal pledge of specific contractual changes; Whitesides framed his proposals as steps he would pursue in coordination with the county commission and county attorney. The hosts thanked him and concluded the session.