Utah County Clerk Flags Hundreds of Fraudulent Signatures in Prop 4 Repeal Effort

Paid signature gatherers accused of forging names and addresses in attempt to get measure on November ballot

Feb. 3, 2026 at 8:07pm

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The effort to repeal Utah's Proposition 4, which created an independent commission to draw congressional boundaries and prohibit gerrymandering, is facing a major setback as the Utah County Clerk's office has flagged over 500 fraudulent signatures on the repeal petition. The clerk believes some signature gatherers have forged names and addresses, creating "non-existent persons" in an attempt to reach the required 140,000 signatures to get the repeal on the November ballot.

Why it matters

Proposition 4 was passed in 2018 to combat gerrymandering, a practice that has been criticized for skewing political representation. The Republican-led effort to repeal the measure has raised concerns about the integrity of the democratic process, as the discovery of widespread fraud undermines voters' trust in the system.

The details

The Utah County Clerk's office has identified at least seven paid signature gatherers involved in the fraudulent scheme, which has led to entire packets of 20-30 signatures being thrown out. The clerk says the level of fraud is "the most extensive" they've seen, with some gatherers allegedly forging names and addresses to create "non-existent persons." Those experienced in signature gathering say the expanding world of paid gatherers and the incentives they're chasing could be fueling the problem.

  • The effort to repeal Proposition 4 faces a deadline of less than two weeks to collect the required 140,000 signatures.
  • The Utah County Clerk's office has flagged more than 500 fraudulent signatures on the repeal petition so far.

The players

Landon Conover

A Utah resident who received a call claiming his signature was on the Proposition 4 repeal petition, despite not signing it.

Aaron Davidson

The Utah County Clerk, who has identified the widespread fraud in the signature gathering effort and says it is "the most extensive" he's seen.

Elizabeth Rasmussen

The Executive Director of Better Boundaries, a group that supports Proposition 4, who worries that the expanding world of paid signature gatherers and the incentives they're chasing could be fueling the problem.

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What they’re saying

“In today's world, you've got to be very careful both in real life and online, what you do, what you sign, what you look at.”

— Landon Conover (fox13now.com)

“This is probably the most extensive fraud that we've seen.”

— Aaron Davidson, Utah County Clerk (fox13now.com)

“It's not a petition I want to sign, so it's fraudulent.”

— Landon Conover (fox13now.com)

“They're not just fraudulent signatures. [The fraudulent person] is making up names and addresses. It's like a non-existent person.”

— Aaron Davidson, Utah County Clerk (fox13now.com)

“We always know with signature gathering, there's going to be some margin of error. But seeing that level is something we never saw.”

— Elizabeth Rasmussen, Executive Director, Better Boundaries (fox13now.com)

What’s next

The Utah County Clerk's office will continue to review the petition signatures and turn over any evidence of fraud to the appropriate authorities for potential criminal charges.

The takeaway

The discovery of widespread fraud in the Proposition 4 repeal effort highlights the need for greater oversight and accountability in the signature gathering process to protect the integrity of the democratic system. It also raises concerns about the potential for paid signature gatherers to be incentivized to engage in unethical practices in order to meet their quotas.