Lyman won’t concede, calls for ‘transparency’ in elections

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — It has been nearly a week since Utah’s primary election, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman says he doesn’t plan to concede.

This comes despite unofficial election results showing Gov. Spencer Cox with a nearly 40,000 vote lead over Lyman. Lyman said he and his supporters want election data and Gov. Cox’s signatures to be looked at by an independent third party.

“I’d like to verify signatures. It’s not for myself. I’m not trying to get into the governor’s seat. I think the people of Utah deserve a fair election,” explained Lyman. “I get calls constantly saying that, ‘Hey, what we’re seeing does not match up with what is being reported we want to know if this election has been conducted fairly.’ And I think it’s a fair question.”

Lyman also questioned ABC4’s line of questioning, “I don’t know who you’re asking these questions on behalf of. If those are your questions or what?” He continued, “You’re part of it. You are part of the cover-up.”

It isn’t uncommon for a candidate on the losing end of election night results to want to contest the results or cast doubt on the system. Zoe Nemerever, an assistant professor of political science at Utah Valley University, says it’s been a trend seen on national, state, and local levels since 2016.

“Almost always it’s the person on the losing end of the election who says that there was some sort of malpractice or malfeasance in the election, and they want it to be recounted, recertified, investigated,” Nemerever said.

Asking for something like a recount in close races isn’t out of the norm or dangerous to our elections. In fact, in some cases they are automatic. But, Nemerever says there is danger in sowing mistrust in the process.

“Public opinion is important for elections. It affects not just attitudes towards potential political violence, but also turnout as well,” she explained. “People may stop engaging in their elections if they feel like it’s not a fair process.”

In Utah, a voter can track their ballot and even ask election officials questions. Nemerever added that signatures to get on a ballot are vigorously verified just like a signature that you’d put on a mail-in ballot. She said, “They’re not hokey signatures, even if they’re collected by paid signature gatherers. They’re still legitimate citizens from the correct district’s signatures.”

Going forward, Phil Lyman said he is calling on his supporters to join his campaign in attending the state records committee meeting on July 18. He hopes it will show that there is a strong contingent of voters who want transparency.

“What convinces people is to have a qualified, independent third-party review of the data. And that has never happened,” Lyman said.

The Utah statewide canvass for the primary election is July 22nd.

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