DAVIS COUNTY, Utah – Utah State Auditor John Dougall has confirmed that he will audit signatures collected by candidates and certified by the Davis County Clerk’s Office this election cycle.

Four different Republican candidates called for signature verification on Monday, including Governor Spencer Cox and Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson.

Republican candidate for Attorney General Derek Brown and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate John Curtis (Utah) also made the request, saying they believe the audit will confirm that the Davis County Clerk’s Office properly followed laws and review procedures.

The signatures have been at the center of controversy since Cox was put on the ballot earlier this year.

His opponent in the primary, Republican Rep. Phil Lyman of Blanding, filed suit in June to gain access to the signatures, but the suit was quickly dismissed. Lyman’s campaign said the number of verified signatures was suspect.

We commend our county election officials for their work – especially the Davis County Clerk’s Office, which counted and verified all signatures in countywide and countywide ballots. “We trust our county clerks and are committed to addressing any issues found to improve the process,” the four GOP candidates said in a statement.

Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie responded to the inquiry by saying he welcomed the review.

I certify that each signature was verified by trained poll workers and either validated or rejected as required by Utah law, and I agree with the statement that “we believe this audit will confirm that the proper signature verification laws and procedures were followed,” McKenzie’s statement said.