Court documents released Thursday show, in each suspected case, voters were mailed ballots corresponding with their registered party, then requested the other party’s ballot and cast both.
In Utah, Republican primaries are closed. Only registered Republicans can vote in them. Democratic primaries are open, and anyone can request a ballot. No matter a voter’s registration they can only vote once. It’s illegal for voters to cast both ballots.
The four Snyderville Basin residents - Bret Alan Reid, his wife Patricia Neumayer, Bruce William Kirchenheiter and Carolyn Anne Rose - are now facing charges of double voting, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. All four are registered Republicans.
According to court documents, Rose told a detective a county clerk employee told her she could not vote twice. However, Rose said she thought the employee was wrong and submitted two ballots anyway.
One of the others charged, Bruce Kirchenheiter, told the detective the clerk’s office didn’t inform him he couldn’t vote twice. He also claimed the county’s website provided no warning about voting two times.
In a statement, Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said "if individuals vote twice, we will find out about it and we will prosecute it.”
Olson noted it’s also a felony to apply for a ballot in the name of a dead person, a fictitious person or in the name of an individual other than oneself. It is also a felony to sign a ballot envelope for another person.
Summit County Clerk Eve Furse urges any residents with questions about the election to reach out to her or the lieutenant governor’s office, which manages elections statewide.
Olson said she hopes the charges filed Thursday will deter others from illegally voting in elections.
