Utah Supreme Court to hear

Colby Jenkins, a candidate in Utah's 2nd Congressional District GOP primary, is challenging the election results in which he lost to Rep. Celeste Maloy by 176 votes, primarily due to 1,171 mail-in ballots that were postmarked late. Jenkins argues that these ballots should be counted, claiming that delays in postal processing in Las Vegas led to the late postmarks, which violates voters' constitutional rights. Meanwhile, the Utah Attorney General's office filed a response urging the Supreme Court to dismiss Jenkins' challenge, emphasizing that state law mandates ballots must be postmarked by the deadline to be counted and that the responsibility lies with voters. This petition is being heard by the Utah Supreme Court, which has previously denied Jenkins' federal request to count the late ballots. Jenkins contends that the situation disproportionately affects voters in nine rural counties and that the law should accommodate these circumstances, while state officials maintain adherence to legal standards is paramount. The outcome of this case could set a precedent regarding mail-in ballot processing and election law in Utah.