NEPHI, Utah, Nov. 3, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Criminal charges have been filed against a former top elections official in Juab County accused of destroying or concealing ballots during the 2020 and 2022 elections.
Former Juab County Clerk/Auditor Alaina E. Lofgran faces several charges following an investigation into alleged missing and mishandled election records.
Lofgran, 67, of Nephi, was charged Thursday in Juab County’s 4th District Court with:
- Willful neglect of duty, a third-degree felony
- Destroying or concealing ballots, a third-degree felony
- Destroying public records, a third-degree felony
- Tampering with ballots, a class A misdemeanor
- Two counts of improper disposition of ballots, a class B misdemeanor
- Two counts of unofficial misconduct, a class B misdemeanor
“These charges are serious and reflect the heavy responsibility of county clerks to uphold the election law,” said Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who requested the investigation after learning of potential mishandling of ballots. “Public trust demands accountability of those who swear oaths to fulfill their duties with fidelity and then fail to do so.”
Henderson said the 2022 election was properly certified by the Juab County Commission, and there’s “no reason to believe [Lofgran’s] actions affected its outcome.”
Lofgran served as clerk/auditor from January 2019 to January 2023, charges state. Utah law requires elections officials to keep and lock ballots and election returns in a safe and secure place for 22 months after the election.
A lawsuit over election records was filed against Juab County and other Utah counties in March 2022, roughly 16 months after the November 2020 general election.
Juab County received a court order in April 2022 to preserve the ballots and records from the 2020 general election pending a resolution of the lawsuit.
Shortly after the November 2022 general election, Lofgran was observed placing ballots in a bin for documents to be picked up and shredded.
When a co-worker expressed concern about the action, Lofgran said, “We don’t need them anymore,” charging documents say.
The shred bins from the clerk’s office were picked up by a third-party company in November 2022 and December 2022.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office investigation found that the 4,795 ballots cast in Juab County and counted in the 2022 general election were missing, charges state.
Of the 5,932 ballots cast in Juab County in the 2020 general election, most were missing, according to charging documents.
Other records from both elections also were not stored properly or securely, the investigation found.
Lofgran’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 28.
