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LOGAN — A Cache County poll worker who was accused of doctoring a voter machine validation report in October accepted a plea deal on Monday.
Dustin James Hansen, 32, was originally charged in 1st District Court with willful neglect of duty by a poll worker, a third-degree felony, after court documents say he was responsible for delivering a doctored report to the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, required to ensure the accuracy of vote tabulating machines.
Hansen pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of willful neglect of duty by a poll worker, a class A misdemeanor, as part of a plea in abeyance. The charge will be dismissed after 12 months if Hansen meets the terms of the deal, including not violating any new laws and paying a $400 fee.
Hansen's arrest was part of a larger investigation into the November 2023 Cache County municipal primary and general election, which "exposed numerous and multiple violations of Utah election law, administrative rule, the Utah election handbook, and basic principles of election administration," according to a report by the lieutenant governor's office.
Two employees working that election were placed on administrative leave on Dec. 8. Hansen was charged, while the other employee resigned.
Before that election, the Cache County Clerk's Office failed to provide members of Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's staff documentation of logic and accuracy tests that are required by law in Utah, the report said.
The clerk's office then claimed it did those tests on Oct. 27, 2023, but sent documentation dated Oct. 26, also raising concerns that "none of the reports were signed by the individuals who performed the tests," and two reports generated on separate equipment had identical timestamps down to the second.
Charging documents state Hansen was found to have "used PDF editing software on his work computer to alter the document," showing database information that the clerk's office corrected much later, making the results impossible.
The issue did not impact the results of the elections, according to both the state's investigation report and the county clerk's office.
David Benson, the Cache County clerk during that tumultuous election, resigned in March, citing "family health matters," joining three county clerks who have left their posts early since 2020.
