Yes Virginia, Utah's elections are rigged. Utah's elections have been systematically adjusted for over a decade to manipulate outcomes. Utah's state government is actively using its position to suppress political dissent. Utah's regime media actively pushes the narrative of desired government officials while going out of its way to attack and intimidate anyone who challenges the status quo.
The year 2010. The tea party had brought conservatives out from AM radio and Cable TV and onto the streets. Efforts were made by far left media outlets to brand the tea party movement as racist but it didn't stick. This wasn't the party of Daddy Bush and Junior. This was something different. Not content for republicans that just "not them" (the far left) but they wanted something more. They wanted real conservatives. They wanted better. The tea party showed up and became delegates. Utah's caucus convention system was about to be put to the test. That year Bob Bennett, an establishment candidate, had a political legacy and pioneer pedigree to match, was up for re-election. He was challenged by seven republicans, including Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater. Bob Bennett didn't make it past the convention. The tea party had successfully taken out an establishment incumbent. This sent chills down the spines of Utah's political elite. The message was clear: no one was safe. 2012 Orrin Hatch was up for re-election. Senator Hatch was more charismatic and personable than Bob Bennett was, but he didn't cinch the nomination at convention and was forced into a primary with Dan Liljenquist. Senator Hatch prevailed in his primary, but the message was clear. Bob Bennett wasn't a fluke and could happen again, but what could the establishment do?
"The Republican Establishment hates conservatives" Rush Limbaugh
In 2013 part of the answer came out. In deep red Utah the GOP primary is really the election. The Democrats are really a regional party limited to Salt Lake City, while competitive in a single congressional district, they have no chance in Utah's climate to win a statewide election. How could the establishment push their finger on the scales to keep conservatives safely distanced? Vote by mail primaries. Every voter listed on the voter rolls will be sent a primary ballot whether they requested one or not. This does two things. First it maximizes the uninformed voter pool. Diluting the informed voter that would have the moxie to show up to the polling location for a primary. Don't worry about voter turnout, just have the regime media push your message and spend big on mailers. Second, it shortens the election cycle. The primary election doesn't end on June 30th. It ends the first week of June when ballots get mailed out. If a candidate does make it out of convention to challenge an establishment candidate they have a little over a month to get their message to 800,000 primary voters before they get their ballots. This is a very messy business. Voter rolls aren't updated, the dead get ballots, move and your old address gets a ballot. The Democrats are sent the republican ballots. Oh that really important security feature from the medieval times, the signature, your ballot might be missing a spot for that. Utah has shown over and over how awful universal vote by mail is.
2014 saw the next step in preventing another Bob Bennett from losing his seat. What if you don't make it through convention? There's a backup plan. "Count my vote" was an establishment effort to bypass Utah's caucus system and enable candidates to get on the ballot with signatures. Candidates could pay companies to go and get the signatures needed to get on the ballot. There was a signature effort itself to eliminate the caucus convention system completely. A compromise was made. SB54, now notorious in some circles. SB 54 was an effort to preserve the caucus system by striking a compromise with "Count my vote" but it wasn't made in good faith. The establishment kept trying to eliminate Utah's caucus. A counter effort was made to "Keep My Voice" This group went to signees to count my vote and asked them if they knew what they were signing. Surprise! They didn't and they put their names to a counter initiative. "keep my voice" saved Utah's caucus system, but the bypass was in place and convention candidates were put at a disadvantage. The caucus convention system worked to prevent a plurality of more than two candidates in a primary but with signatures as many candidates as could gather signatures could be on the ballot. Is there a threat of losing a seat from a conservative? That's just fine just get another candidate run conservative talking points and buy their way onto the ballot. This will split the vote. Still not enough, just do it again. The establishment was now in a position to put their weight on the scales to get the outcomes they wanted.
Audit our elections, no way. One legislature was forced to resign after establishment backlash for even suggesting it. Another legislator wanted a way to legally even look at ballots and was ferociously attacked for it. Utah's ballots can't be audited. State law prevents it. If all the unsolicited ballots do enable something nefarious legally the ballots are stored for a period of time and destroyed. No review, no checks, nothing. When GRAMA requests were made to look at election data. Lieutenant Governor Henderson stepped in, emailed all the county clerks and informed them how to deny the requests. Then she reported it to the FBI and reached out to Utah's far left content creator Bryan Schott, who has a history of blue anon conspiracy peddling, to do hit pieces on the effort.
Where's the outrage? Where's the TV specials and the front page investigative piece calling this out? Utah's regime media is tight. Raise questions about elections they go out of their way to vilify and attack you. They will go out of their way to vilify and attack any conservatives at every available opportunity. Utah's leading rag mag the Salt Fake Tribune, employs Bryan Schott to attack and do hit pieces on conservatives. Calling Bryan Schott a journalist is like calling Jeffery Dahmer a chef. He's an establishment lapdog, we've seen the texts. He pushes the establishment narrative with cult like fanaticism. He's made national headlines for intimidating conservatives for donating to the Canadian trucker convoy. One local TV station tried to get a paramedic fired for donating $10 to Kyle Rittenhouse. ABC4 showed up outside his house with a camera crew and reached out to his employer. KSL another local TV station does hit pieces on Trump supporters by trying to label them terrorists. Worse than the Salt Fake Tribune is the Deserleft News that does weekly puff pieces on Utah's far left governor Spencer Cox. Utah's regime media work ferociously to control the narrative in the state and attack anyone who challenges it. Social media? criticize Utah's current governor Spencer Cox and you'll find your account "permanently suspended" a bill was put forward to make social media companies give explanations of their bannings, Governor Cox vetoed it. The Utah State Government is actively being used to suppress political dissent. More weights being tossed onto the scales of Utah's elections.
Yes, Utah's elections are rigged. Powerful people have used their position to stay in power and advance agendas that aren't in the best interests of Utah.