Salt Lake City — Attorney General John Swallow responded yesterday to a petition filed with the Lt. Governor’s office by two Utah citizens on March 7, 2013, that alleges that Mr. Swallow violated state election laws. As required by law, the matter is currently being reviewed by the Lt. Governor’s Office.
Better UTAH has filed a GRAMA request with the Utah Lt. Governor’s Office to seek the release of Mr. Swallow’s response. Maryann Martindale, Better UTAH Executive Director, has issued the following statement:
“We are heartened that the Lt. Governor’s Office and Attorney General Swallow are taking this complaint seriously. Utahns expect their elected leaders to fully comply with the law, including our state’s election laws.
“We understand that allegations of violating state election laws are very serious – so serious that if violations are found, the statutory penalty is removal from office. For Mr. Swallow’s sake, and that of all Utahns, we hope that the Lt. Governor’s office will swiftly and publicly complete their review and hand this matter over to a special prosecutor for further investigation as required by current law. Only the completion of a thorough investigation can remove the cloud over the Attorney General’s office that has hung over it for so many months already.”
Timeline:
March 07, 2013 – Complaint filed by Maryann Martindale and Crystal Young-Otterstrom, and their attorneys, David Irvine and Alan Smith
March 14, 2013 – Utah Legislature suspends legislative rules on the last day of the 2013 legislative session to adopt a change to the Utah election code insuring that the Attorney General is not in a position to investigate himself in the case of accusations of election law complaints
April 09, 2013 – As reported by the Deseret News, Attorney General Swallow files a private response to the complaint with the Lt. Governor’s office
April 09/10, 2013 – The Deseret News and the Alliance for a Better UTAH submit GRAMA requests seeking a copy of Mr. Swallow’s response
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Alliance for a Better UTAH | 801.557.1532 | www.betterutah.org
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The Alliance for a Better UTAH is a year-round, multi-issue education and advocacy organization providing resources, commentary, and action on important public policy matters.