Election Day complaints lodged

The Utah Attorney General's Office is wading through a series of Election Day complaints ranging from allegations of voter intimidation to illegal campaign tactics.

The Attorney General's Office has already contacted the Daggett County Attorney's Office to look into complaints that more people were registered to vote than actually live in the tiny eastern Utah county. There were 947 people registered to vote in Tuesday's election. Only 943 people live in Daggett County, according to recent census figures.

Democrats suspected outsiders registered to vote to give Republicans an advantage in the county sheriff's race. Preliminary election results show that Republican Rick Ellsworth had 299 votes over Democrat challenger Allen Campbell's 278 votes.

"We're going to see if there's enough information to conduct an investigation and then decide if any laws were broken," Utah Attorney General's spokesman Paul Murphy said Wednesday.

Murphy said the office has also received a complaint about the Summit County Sheriff's race, alleging voter intimidation.

According to the complaint filed by write-in candidate Brody Taylor, a pair of retired Summit County Sheriff's deputies were threatened with their retirement benefits and disciplinary action over their support for him.

Sheriff Dave Edmunds told the Deseret Morning News he welcomes an investigation.

"The allegation is ridiculous on the grounds that we have no control over that (retirement benefits) whatsoever," he said Wednesday. "I hope they conduct one because we are going to be exonerated."

Taylor, who lost heavily to incumbent Edmunds, has already filed a separate slander lawsuit in connection with the race.

Another complaint was filed questioning the residency status of Summit County Attorney David Brickey, Murphy said.

The Attorney General's Office has also been asked to investigate a bond election in the Alpine School District. Four people complained, claiming the district used taxpayer money to promote the bond. The $230 million bond passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has been asked to issue an opinion on whether or not Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner violated the federal Hatch Act by running for state Senate.

The Hatch Act limits the political activities of government workers if their agency receives federal grant money. The federal government's Office of Special Counsel said Greiner had to either quit his police job or quit his campaign.

He is appealing the decision and was elected Tuesday night.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah said Wednesday it had received a few phone calls, but nothing that required a federal investigation.

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Contributing: Laura Hancock

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com