Republican incumbent state Rep. Tiara Auxier has moved ahead of Democrat Zane Woolstenhulme in Utah House District 4, reversing the lead shown in preliminary election returns Wednesday, Nov. 4.
An election-results compilation updated at 12:18 p.m. Mountain time Thursday, Nov. 5 reported Auxier with 6,455 votes, or 50.6%, and Woolstenhulme with 6,314 votes, or 49.4%.
The 141-vote margin is a change from earlier returns, which showed Woolstenhulme, a former Oakley mayor, ahead by 370 votes.
Summit County had supplied much of Woolstenhulme's early support.
In the earlier county-level count, Woolstenhulme received 3,807 Summit County votes, or 67%, compared with Auxier's 1,870 votes, or 33%, according to TownLift's Nov. 4 report. Auxier led in Morgan and Rich counties.
Those county-level figures are an earlier snapshot, not a breakdown of the updated Nov. 5 district totals.
House District 4 covers all of Morgan and Rich counties and much of Summit County, including portions of the Snyderville Basin and communities such as Coalville, Oakley and Kamas.
House District 59: Searle takes lead
The contest between Democrat Celeste Johnson, a former Midway mayor, and Republican Luke Searle, a Wasatch County Council member, has also changed.
Updated Nov. 5 unofficial returns placed Searle ahead with 8,143 votes, or 51.5%, compared with Johnson's 7,678 votes, or 48.5%.
That is a 465-vote lead for Searle.
Earlier results published Nov. 4 had Johnson leading by 55 votes, with 6,039 votes compared with Searle's 5,984.
District 59 includes portions of eastern Summit County, including areas around Deer Valley and Jordanelle, and extends into Wasatch County.
The shift illustrates why early results can change as counties process additional ballots.
Senate District 20: Winterton leads comfortably
Republican incumbent Ron Winterton holds a substantial lead over Forward Party candidate Annette McRae in Senate District 20.
The updated Nov. 5 compilation reported Winterton with 20,050 votes, or 64.1%, compared with McRae's 11,253 votes, or 35.9%.
Senate District 20 includes portions of Summit and Wasatch counties, among other areas.
Winterton's lead is considerably larger than the margins in the two House contests, although those results also remain unofficial.
What comes next
The Summit County election FAQ states that the county's official canvass will take place Nov. 17. During canvassing, officials review election returns and determine whether to approve them as final.
Under Utah Code § 20A-4-401, a losing candidate generally may request a recount when the margin is 0.25% or less of the total votes cast in the race.
Based on the Nov. 5 totals, Auxier's 141-vote lead represents approximately 1.10% of votes cast in District 4. Searle's 465-vote lead represents approximately 2.94% in District 59. Both exceed the statutory recount threshold.
Those calculations could change as additional ballots are counted.
For a multicounty legislative race, an eligible candidate must submit a recount request to the lieutenant governor by 5 p.m. on the first business day at least three calendar days after canvassing is completed.
The updated results remain unofficial pending canvassing and certification.
