The eligibility of 35 registered voters in the West Hills incorporation election is now in question, and the Summit County Clerk's Office expects to begin issuing rulings next week.

Clerk Malena Stevens expects to respond to 18 of the 23 challenges filed by incorporation opponent Craig Savage by Tuesday, Oct. 27, as first reported by the Park Record. The remaining challenges must be resolved before election results are certified.

The challenges are allegations, not rulings. The available reporting does not establish that any voters have been disqualified.

Only 92 voters were registered within the proposed West Hills boundaries when the challenges were initially reported, according to records described by KPCW. If all 35 contested voters were disqualified and the registration total remained unchanged, 57 would remain eligible to decide the incorporation question on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

How the challenges developed

Savage, a Tuhaye resident, initially filed 18 challenges on Sept. 18, according to KPCW's earlier reporting. The Park Record's Oct. 23 report put his total at 23.

His filings allege that the challenged voters do not actually live within the proposed town boundaries. They cite differences between voter registration addresses and other records as evidence of possible residency problems.

West Hills sponsor Derek Anderson also submitted challenges targeting 12 different voters. His objections focused largely on discrepancies involving property-tax records.

KPCW reported Oct. 13 that Anderson acknowledged missing the 45-day pre-election challenge deadline. Whether his objections would be accepted remained uncertain.

A property's tax classification does not, by itself, establish whether someone meets Utah's voting residency requirements.

What happens to challenged ballots

Stevens told the Park Record that ballots cast by challenged voters before their eligibility is determined will be handled provisionally.

The Clerk's Office will determine whether those ballots can be counted after reviewing the challenges.

The county's official election calendar schedules the canvass, when results are reviewed for certification, for Nov. 17.

The incorporation question concerns a proposed 3,600-acre town along State Route 248 near Kamas. The proposal has drawn competing arguments about development, local services and control over land use.

Voting information

Summit County's election calendar lists early in-person voting from Oct. 27 through Oct. 31.

Ballots returned by mail must be received by the Clerk's Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters also may use official ballot drop boxes before that deadline.

Election Day in-person voting runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Summit County Clerk's Office provides voting locations, registration information and ballot-return instructions on its election information page.