This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The polls had barely opened Tuesday morning when one of Utah's moral crusaders sent out a call to arms, urging fellow patriots to swarm clerks' offices during the ballot counts to thwart any cheating.
Thomas Butler sent emails saying he had evidence of voter fraud. His evidence? His household received three mail-in ballots, and there were only two registered voters living there. His son had moved out some time ago. That shows how easy it is, he said, for "dead people" to vote.
The problem with that scenario: Voters must sign the mail-in ballot, and their signatures must match those on their registration forms. But don't let the facts mess up a good conspiracy theory.
Butler has been the organizer of meetings by a Utah County group that warned of the beast in the New Testament's Book of Revelation manifesting itself in public education, international influences contributing to declining values and the evils of government mandates.
Butler is closely aligned with right-wing radio talk show host Cherilyn Eagar, who, as a substitute teacher in a West High School Mormon seminary class, told students that sin brought about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Islamic extremists and volatile stock markets.
The Butler-Eagar group was also sympathetic to the armed militia group that occupied the federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. Let's just hope the patriots called on to monitor the voting tallies left their muskets at home.
Too little, too late • Jeff White is a write-in candidate for Salt Lake County Council District 2, the only opponent of Republican incumbent Michael Jensen.
White found a campaign violation he wondered might get Jensen tossed off the ballot.
The egregious offense? White notified the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office on Friday that Jensen had failed to comply with a new county ordinance that requires identifying all sources of campaign contributions. The previous ordinance allowed candidates to consolidate donations under $50 without having to identify the contributors.
The clerk's office has alerted Jensen, and he has 14 days to comply. It is not a breach that would remove him from the ballot.
The amounts in question: $8.65 received June 20, $2.19 taken in on Sept. 2, and $1.62 accepted Sept. 30.
Who is the imbecile here? • Longtime Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen received a backhanded compliment Tuesday morning when a frustrated voter standing in line grabbed her deputy clerk, who is 30 years younger than Swensen, and berated her, believing the woman was Swensen. He called her a #&@%$* imbecile, telling her the election was rigged, and he didn't like having to stand in the long line. The deputy clerk noticed he was holding a completed mail-in ballot in his hand, so she walked him over to the drop box, instructed him to put it in there and told him he was done. She then gave him an "I Voted" sticker.
Celebrities supporting Trump • Actually, Donald Trump's presidential campaign might have grounds for a complaint. One ballot mailed to the Salt Lake County clerk was thrown out because the signature on the ballot didn't match the one on the voter's registration form.
The ballot signature: "Mickey Mouse."
Now you see it • Passers-by in downtown Salt Lake City noticed for weeks that campaign signs in front of the Utah Republican Party headquarters at South Temple and State Street carried Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," but didn't include the presidential candidate's name. That changed around the time his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, came to town recently, with new signs that included Trump-Pence.
Then, over the weekend, the signs disappeared. State GOP Chairman James Evans said the party gave the large signs to supporters to display in other areas.
Vandals hit GOP • Another thing happened at the GOP's state headquarters over the weekend. Vandals spray-painted the windows Friday night, but the building maintenance crew had it cleaned up by late Saturday morning. The vandals had sprayed "Bigot" and "Trump = Racist" on the windows.
Mickey Mouse must be furious.