The Provo Board of Canvassers voted unanimously Tuesday to accept the election returns and certify the results of the Aug. 12 primary election. City Recorder Heidi Allman presented the canvas report and answered questions from board members before the board approved the resolution by a 6-0 vote.

Allman told the board the city had 43,871 active registered voters and that 11,821 ballots were counted, producing a 26.9% turnout. "We had 11,821 ballots that were counted, resulting in a voter turnout of 26.9," Allman said. She compared that to past primaries, noting the turnout was higher than the previous two comparable elections.

The nut of the certification was the vote tallies and a summary of rejected ballots. Allman said 278 ballots were not accepted: 12 envelopes were returned unsigned; five signatures did not match records and could not be cured; 256 ballots were returned after the deadline and therefore not counted under the postmark rule; and five were rejected for non-curable reasons. She described the five non-curable cases as follows: one person ineligible to vote on that ballot, two empty envelopes, one voter who moved out of the county after the ballot was printed, and one envelope that contained two ballots so the extra was not counted.

Allman also described a new confidentiality reporting requirement for voter registration categories. "When people register to vote, they can declare themselves as somebody who is a victim of domestic violence or someone who lives with a law enforcement officer or member of the armed forces, or who is protected by an order," she said, explaining why some registration counts are withheld or classified as private.

Board members pressed Allman on notification and cure procedures. Board member Rachel Whipple asked whether voters whose ballots were rejected as late are told their ballot was not counted. "So for the people whose votes or their ballots were rejected, are they given notice, like, if they were in the late group?" Whipple asked. Allman replied she would contact the county to determine whether those voters receive notification and to confirm how the county handles late returns; she said the county attempts to contact voters when a signature mismatch occurs but that late returns can be harder to cure.

Allman presented the candidate vote totals that the board certified. For mayor (11,794 total votes counted) she reported Michelle Kaufusi 5,655, Marsha Judkins 5,333, Thatcher Longman 426 and Eric Much 380; Kaufusi and Judkins will advance to the general election. For citywide Council Seat 1 (11,525 total) she reported Katrice McKay 6,310, Adam Shin 3,625 and Tom Sataki 1,590; McKay and Shin will advance. For District 2 (2,674 total) she reported Jeff Whitlock 1,285, Hannah Peterson 1,134 and Sally Clayton 255; Whitlock and Peterson will advance. For District 5 (957 total) she reported Rachel Whipple 617, Sam Blackburn 155, Shay Aslett 128 and Tim Jaffek 57; Whipple and Blackburn will advance.

The board voted to adopt the resolution certifying the returns; no mover or seconder was recorded in the minutes and the roll call recorded six "yes" votes. After the vote the board adjourned by unanimous consent.

The certification formalizes which candidates will advance to the general election and records the official turnout and ballot rejections for the Aug. 12 primary. City Recorder Allman said she would follow up with the county to report back to the board on whether voters whose ballots were returned late receive notification and on any additional cure-notification practices the county uses.