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Posted: 6:23 PM- The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said Monday that it will investigate alleged irregularities in Ogden's Nov. 6 mayoral election.
Karen McCreary, executive director of ACLU, said two Ogden voters filed complaints and suggested other voters also experienced intimidation, electioneering, denial of provisional ballots and inappropriate use of voter challenges.
"If substantiated, these are egregious," said McCreary.
"People have a right to vote and to know the process has integrity," she said. "It is such a fundamental right we have in our democracy, that everyone's vote is counted."
The complaints center around actions by Weber County election judges and by supporters and poll watchers for Mayor Matthew Godfrey.
His victory over Susan Van Hooser was clear a week after the Nov. 6 election, when absentee and provisional ballots were counted. He won by 449 votes out of more than 14,000.
The allegations include that poll watchers for the mayor sat near election judges, welcomed voters, displayed campaign literature and told certain voters they were being challenged - rather than allowing the election judge to inform the voters, McCreary said.
Godfrey's supporters challenged at least 150 people who they believed were not Ogden residents or who had moved within Ogden, a move the mayor later praised.
Godfrey did not immediately return a reporter's phone call seeking comment Monday and neither did Weber County Clerk Alan McEwan, whose office managed the balloting.
"Our statutes provide for challenges, but they also provide for process to go through to ensure . . . people don't lose their right to vote," said McCreary.
"There are lines here, and that's part of our investigation," said McCreary, who said the ACLU is soliciting comment from voters who believe they were wronged on election day.
Among the complaints: Some election judges did not offer provisional ballots to those who were challenged.
For some voters, it took the better part of the day to round up adequate identification to satisfy election judges for provisional ballots, she said.
McCreary said the probe may take several weeks.
"With the 2008 election coming, it seems a good time to look into these kinds of things and do all we can do to ensure good training [for election judges]," she said.
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