WSU launches educational program for election workers as national debate simmers
Officials from county clerks offices around Utah gathered Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Weber State University in Ogden for the inaugural training session offered as part of a new educational program geared to election workers. Michael Dixon, an associate professor at Utah State University, instructs the class.
Officials from county clerks offices around Utah gathered Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Weber State University in Ogden for the inaugural training session offered as part of a new educational program geared to election workers. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, in the front, traveled to Ogden to address the officials.
OGDEN — As debate simmers across the country over elections, specifically how to assure clean elections, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson thinks she grasps the issue.
“If the outcome of the election is what the voter wanted it to be, then I think, yeah, they trust it. If it wasn’t, they don’t trust it. That’s the crux of the problem that we’re facing and the problem that we need to solve,” she said Thursday during a stop in Ogden. “How can we ensure the voters have confidence in the outcomes of the elections even if they don’t get what they want in the end?”
TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
Officials from county clerks offices around Utah gathered Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Weber State University in Ogden for the inaugural training session offered as part of a new educational program geared to election workers. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, in the front, traveled to Ogden to address the officials.
Weber State University officials are trying to offer help in that direction. They’ve crafted an educational program geared to the state’s election workers, and on Thursday 43 officials from 14 counties gathered for the inaugural courses in the VOTE Election Certification program. “I think professional training is always good,” said Leah Murray, who, as academic director at Weber State’s Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service, helped craft the program.
Efforts to create the program started long before the brouhaha over the results from last November’s U.S. presidential vote, deemed accurate by election observers and inaccurate by some supporters of former President Donald Trump. Even so, the launch of the program comes amid increased focus on elections, and Henderson, whose office oversees elections in the state, said election workers can aid in efforts to bolster confidence in the electoral system.
“As the election professionals in the state, you are the key components of this effort to rebuild trust, through competence and ethics. So continue to train your staff. Take advantage of resources such as this. Spread the word. Let’s get more election officials to come to these trainings, to get certified. Stay up to speed on the latest technology strategies,” she said.
She also called on election workers to get to know the elected officials in the areas they serve, to educate them about the balloting and vote-counting process. “Make sure they understand. Build good relationships with them. If they know how the process works, hopefully, that keeps them from saying a stupid thing in public that undermines the election processes and destroys public trust,” she said.
TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
Officials from county clerks offices around Utah gathered Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Weber State University in Ogden for the inaugural training session offered as part of a new educational program geared to election workers.
As is, election workers get training in a range of ways, from colleagues in their offices and conferences held periodically by the Utah Association of Counties, according to Ryan Cowley, head of the Weber County Election Office. But formal opportunities are limited and can require travel out of state.
“In Utah, there is not a formal or organized training curriculum for election officials. Most of it is learned on the job and from other counties,” said Cowley, who helped push for creation of the Weber State program.
Devin Wiser, the executive director of the Walker Institute, called the new program a “first for the state of Utah.” And though it didn’t spring from the controversy over the 2020 presidential vote, he said it can aid in promoting trust in the election system.
“Ultimately, preserving citizens’ trust in the integrity of America’s political process and elections is crucial to maintaining the American experiment and is foundational to every other right we enjoy,” he said in a press release from Weber State on the new offering. “Working to keep that trust is worth the investment.”
Participants will take courses on things like election law, data analytics, conflict resolution and security at scattered times, earning certification in the program after completing 10 courses.
G’Ne Bartholomew, a deputy in the Iron County Clerk’s Office, was at Thursday’s class. She noted the shifting rules and guidelines elections officials have to keep up with.
“They keep changing things you’ve got to keep up on,” she said. “Never can have enough knowledge.”
TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
Officials from county clerks offices around Utah gathered Thursday, June 17, 2021, at Weber State University in Ogden for the inaugural training session offered as part of a new educational program geared to election workers.
Despite the outcries from some around the country about tainted elections last November, Utahns have largely expressed confidence in voting here, Henderson said. Similarly, Cowley senses that most in the state believe election results in Utah last year were trustworthy. That said, there’s still value in having new educational options like the Weber State program.
“Even though things are going well here in Utah, there is always room for us to learn new things and grow as a person and professionally,” said Cowley, who took part in Thursday’s classes. “I think of this certification as a way of learning how to use new tools that I can use so that when things don’t go perfectly, I have the skills necessary to keep things running smoothly.”