Public commenters warn of potential disenfranchisement over caucus voting app; county staff say party contracted separately with vendor

Julie Blaney told commissioners she had "been hearing from a lot of people that are concerned because the vote app is not working on their phones" and asked what plan exists for people unable to use a smartphone to vote. She said she feared many people would be disenfranchised if alternatives were not offered.

Josh Daniels of the Clerk-Auditor's Office responded that the app (referred to in the comment as Voatz/VOTES) is provided by a vendor under a contract with the Utah County Republican Party for its convention and that the county elections office is not providing that app for the party's event. "The Utah County Clerk Auditor's Office or the Utah County Elections Office is not... it's not an app that we own," Daniels said, explaining the party has a separate agreement with the vendor for the convention.

Commissioner Jimmy McShoree said he and others had been unable to load the app on their phones and were working with staff to identify alternative ways to provide voting access. The board heard the comments and noted that the issue relates to party-run activity rather than a county-administered election process. Commissioners thanked speakers for raising the concern and noted the distinction between county election services and private-party arrangements.

The exchange ended with the understanding that the county's elections office would not be the provider for that app in the caucus and that party organizers and county staff were seeking alternatives for voters who could not use the app.