SALT LAKE CITY — Roughly 170,000 ballots still need to be counted after a late surge in voters in Salt Lake County.
The Salt Lake County Clerk's Office was working quickly to process the ballots, which were dropped off in secure drop boxes across the county and at in-person polling locations on Election Night. Statewide, clerks saw a similar surge with people waiting until the final hours of the mid-term election to turn in their ballots or vote in-person.
Across Utah, voter turnout was at 47.5% on Wednesday, Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson told FOX 13 News.
"Election workers are working as fast as they can. We’d rather be accurate than fast and counting takes time," said Lt. Gov. Henderson. "We’ve still got ballots coming through the mail, we want people to have time to cure their ballots if they forgot to put their signature on the envelope if there’s something else going on, we want to make sure there’s plenty of time to make sure all the votes are counted and counted accurately."
With so many outstanding ballots, some close races could still change as votes are tabulated. There were competitive races in Salt Lake County government, and in legislative districts in West Valley City and Magna.
"There’s still a lot of ballots out there," said Suzanne Harrison, the Democratic candidate for Salt Lake County Council. "We’re cautiously optimistic and we’re going to give the clerk’s office the time they need to do their jobs of counting these ballots and making sure the voice of the people is heard."
Harrison had 54% of the vote to incumbent Republican council member's 46% in updated results released Wednesday. Snelgrove did not respond to a request for comment on the race.
Other results were more decisive. Constitutional Amendment A, which allowed the legislature to raise the amount of money it could spend in a special session, appeared to be headed for a decisive defeat with 63% of the vote against it compared to 31% in favor.
While legislative leaders had argued it was necessary in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, some critics called it a legislative "power grab."
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses were shut down, schools were online and people were losing their jobs, we saw the need for more checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches. We realized the Legislature needed the ability to allocate additional federal funds during emergency special sessions to address pressing issues," Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said in a statement to FOX 13 News. "While some might have seen the amendment as an opportunity for the legislature to gain more power, in reality, it was a way to better assist Utahns during serious emergencies."
In the hotly contested U.S. Senate race, independent candidate Evan McMullin had already conceded to incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee. As of Wednesday, Lee had a 13-point lead (55% to 42%) over McMullin.
It was an unusual race, where the Utah Democratic Party opted not to advance a candidate in an effort to clear the field for McMullin. One of those who pushed for that move is arguably Utah's most powerful Democrat — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson.
"I think for statewide races, an independent is a good way to go," she told FOX 13 News on Wednesday. "So I felt like it was a year we should take the risk. I'm generally pleased, I would have been happier if Evan McMullin had defeated Mike Lee."
Mayor Wilson said she believed McMullin was still successful in the race.
"Bottom line, I think future generations want to see more independents and if I can help create competitive races and if can help do that? I’m happy to do so," she said.
