Davidson is the only elections official in Utah’s 29 counties to raise such doubts.
Earlier this month, he signed a letter, addressed “To Those Who Care,” accusing Henderson of breaking the law. It has been shared in far-right social media groups, which often give credence to conspiracy theories, and has been spread by the Cox ticket’s challenger in the GOP primary election — current write-in gubernatorial candidate and state lawmaker Phil Lyman.
The letter, Davidson told The Salt Lake Tribune, was shared with “some of the legislators and some other individuals I know.”
A spokesperson for the lieutenant governor’s office declined to comment.
“The Lieutenant Governor did not handle the manual candidate signature verification process for statewide candidates according to statute and made a conflict where none would have existed had it been handled properly and transparently,” Davidson wrote in the letter.
He continued, “Penalties for these violations should be pursued to assure the public that the security of elections in Utah are taken seriously. Our elected officials, especially the elected official that is designated as the chief election official, should be held to the same standard of following the Utah State statutes as every other law-abiding citizen.”
Lyman has been accusing both Cox and running mate Henderson of election fraud since before he lost the primary election in June. He and his supporters have in recent days used Davidson’s letter to prop those allegations up.
On Sunday, a few days after Lyman posted the letter, he asked his followers on social media site X, formerly Twitter, “What should be the consequences/penalties for knowingly defrauding an election?”
Many suggested jail time for Cox and Henderson, but several went beyond that — calling for the death penalty for the elected officials. “Public hanging,” one supporter responded, while another said, “Hanging for the whole town to see.” At least two people posted images of nooses.
When State Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, challenged Lyman to disavow the threats against the governor and lieutenant governor, Lyman posted a screenshot of McKell’s text saying lawyers, which McKell is, would “misunderstand any truth and defend any lie.” Lyman also reiterated his question about what consequences are appropriate for “government officials that defraud the people,” leading to a new round of calls for prison and death.
A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Public Safety said that the office is “aware of these threats.”
Read the full story at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.