SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah House candidate from Ogden has sued Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, claiming his stay-home order cost her a place on the upcoming primary ballot and asking a judge to extend the deadline for petition signature submissions.
Republican Lorraine Brown filed the lawsuit Friday against Herbert, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and Weber County clerk-auditor Ricky Hatch after claiming she would have been able to collect the 1,000 required signatures if not for the governor’s stay-at-home policy implemented March 12 amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Standard-Examiner reported.
Brown unsuccessfully petitioned for a spot on the ballot involving a seat that serves the city of South Ogden and parts of southern Ogden, securing 982 signatures.
“This is my last attempt. If the court turns me down, it turns me down,” Brown said.
The lawsuit claims preventive measures such as limited public interaction combined with the state’s decision not to grant candidates more leeway in gathering signatures on petitions cost her a place on the ballot.
Amid increasing fears of person-to-person contact, the governor issued another order on March 26 allowing electronic signatures.
Brown wants the signature gathering deadline extended to Wednesday. She said she continued to receive signatures past the original April 6 deadline and has collected more than enough to be granted a spot on the ballot.
Herbert, Cox and Hatch have not yet formally responded to the suit and each of them declined to comment because the case is ongoing.
If the court approves the extension, Brown would face fellow Republican Travis Campbell in the June 30 Republican primary, with the winner going up against Democrat Lou Shurtliff in November.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.