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Public commenter says SB 54 signature rules were not followed in Gov. Spencer Cox campaign
Summary
During public comment, a speaker claimed audits found a gubernatorial candidate failed to meet SB 54 signature thresholds and said criminal charges followed; no official response or verification appears in the transcript.
A public commenter said audits show a candidate for governor failed to meet the signature requirements of SB 54 and that criminal charges followed, and the commenter asserted Gov. Spencer Cox did not comply with those rules.
"So SB 54 says if you wanna run for governor, you go and get 28,000 valid signatures," the commenter said. "So this person who ran for governor under that did not get 28,000 valid signatures. 3 audits have shown that. Now you got criminal charges going against people."
The commenter added that, in their view, the practical effect was that candidates could control ballot placement and that the statutory requirements were a distraction. "You don't have to actually get 24,000 signatures. You don't have to do anything. You print the ballot. You're in charge of the ballot. You're in charge of your own race," the commenter said. They also said, "So SB 54 is like a distraction" and suggested that Gov. Spencer Cox "didn't even comply with the provisions of SB 54."
The commenter referenced an apparent political rationale for nonenforcement: "And the legislature will back you up on it. Why? Because we don't want a guy like Phil Lyman in there," the commenter said. The transcript does not identify the commenter by name or indicate whether the claims were supported with documents during the meeting.
The remarks in the transcript are presented as the commenter’s assertions; the meeting record does not include independent confirmation of the audits, the cited signature totals, or the existence or disposition of any criminal charges. The record also does not show any staff response, legal analysis, or formal action taken in response to the comment.
