ST. GEORGE — From running county elections to setting local property tax rates and issuing marriage licenses, the Washington County Clerk/Auditor’s Office is a busy place and its chief officer is up for election this year.
Incumbent Susan Lewis and write-in challenger Patricia Kent are vying for the position as one candidate touts her experience and the other seeks to ensure elections in Washington County are secure from fraud.
St. George News spoke with the candidates and asked why they’re seeking the position, what qualifies them for the job and what their opinion on election integrity in the county is.
The topic of election integrity is one that has recently risen in prominence for some Washington County Republicans who dispute the results of the House District 72’s Republican primary race.
Susan Lewis | Republican | Incumbent
Lewis was appointed to the clerk/auditor’s position by the Washington County Republican Central Committee in 2021 following the retirement of Kim Hafen. In this position, she handles the county’s budget, conducts audits, determines the county’s annual property tax levy, runs the county elections and oversees the issuance of marriage licenses and passports, just to name a few of the position’s overall duties.
“There’s a lot more to this job than just the election,” Lewis said.
Why are you running for Washington County Clerk/Auditor?
“I love Washington County,” she said. “It’s always been warm and welcoming to me. I want to be a public servant. I feel like my qualifications in accounting, knowing how the books run, knowing about the debts, knowing about the grants, all of that, is a benefit to Washington County residents because they know that we can keep things flowing and going in the right direction.”
What qualifies you for the job?
Prior to her appointment, Lewis served the county as its chief deputy clerk/auditor for five years, she said, adding she also had experience serving in Utah’s 5th District Court as a clerk and around 10 years as a municipal-level accountant.
She has repeatedly run multiple internal audits focused on varying parts of the county as a part of the job and has had those efforts “come up clean” when they are reviewed by a third party, she said.
Education-wise, Lewis said she has been trained with a governmental accounting background and has a degree in accounting from Southern Utah University. The governmental accounting background helps deal with the complexity of government funds and spending that go beyond what is practiced in regular business, she said.
“It would be very worrisome to me if someone got into office that didn’t have that knowledge to pull it together and make it work,” she said.
What are your thoughts on Washington County’s overall election integrity?
“There’s a lot of information on the internet that makes people nervous and doubt elections,” Lewis said. “I think that most people that have come in and walked through the actual process that we do, they see we don’t just get a ballot and open up and count it. There’s a whole process, there’s verifications we do. There’s also authentications that we do for the signatures to verify they’re correct. It’s not just as simple as people think.”
In relation to the Utah House District 72 primary race, which was very close between candidates Willie Billings and Joseph Elison, Elison came out ahead by just a handful of votes both before and after a recount. A recount and audit of the recount were conducted that Lewis and the Washington County Commission stand by despite protests of parties demanding a hand recount.
The recount and audit was done in accordance with state law, Lewis said, adding she’s invites members of the public to come and watch how her office handles election results rather than form an opinion based on online accusations of voter fraud alone.
Patricia Kent | Write-in candidate | Challenger
Kent is a 40-plus year resident of St. George and has been involved in the community in various ways throughout that time. She is a U.S. Army veteran and has been a member of the Civil Air Patrol. She spent 15 years as a history teacher and coach in the Washington County School District system and also worked for various federal land agencies. She is currently the national chair of the Independent American Party and chair of the board for the Liberty Action Coalition.
Why are you running for Washington County Clerk/Auditor?
“The motivation to run came when I went to the County Commission meeting when they were discussing District 72 and Susan would not do a hand recount on that race,” Kent said, speaking of when the Washington County Commission voted to certify the results of the House District 72 recount. “That’s her job. If she’s not willing to do it, she should leave.”
Kent and others dispute the results of the election based on the results of an audit done on the recount results they say gave Willie Billings a 60/40 lead over Joseph Elison. While Lewis and her office argue Billings’ supporters have misinterpreted the data and intent of the audit, Kent and others continue to call for a hand recount as they do not trust the tabulation machines the county used to tally the vote totals.
“Machines are way too easily manipulated,” Kent said. “The results just don’t add up. I think it’s a real anomaly.”
What qualifies you for the job?
Related to the clerk/auditor’s position, Kent said she had experience as a business manager for Sierra West Publishing, a phone book company, where she handled sales and management and the hiring and firing of staff. She also has training in business administration and has served in various leadership positions throughout her life.
What are your thoughts on Washington County’s overall election integrity?
“I believe that we have the same problem they have all over this nation,” Kent said. “I don’t believe we have election integrity. I have friends that have received more than one ballot in the mail. Mail-in ballots are being sent out to people who are no longer living, who are no longer in the county. Anybody can vote on them. They (the clerk/auditor’s office) say we’re checking the signatures, but that’s not happening either. I have a friend who intentionally wrote someone else’s name on his ballot. And yet, according to the records of the county, it was counted. So I don’t feel like that we’re exempt from the challenges of voter fraud.”
If elected, Kent said she would conduct a full audit of all the ballots cast in the Republican June primary – some 35,000 votes – instead of the 1,000-plus ballots Lewis had done as a sample.
“They did not do a complete audit in that race,” she said, adding there are many people in Washington County who do not trust the way elections are presently handled.
Other plans Kent has for the county if elected include attempting to roll back mail-in ballot use in the county and return to more in-person polling locations for elections. She also said she will “hold the commissioners’ feet to the fire” on various issues and promote more discussion between the county’s elected officials and the people.
“I truly believe our voice – we the people – should be heard,” she said.
Check out all of St. George News’ coverage of the 2022 election by clicking here.
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