A judge has dismissed U.S. Rep. Mia Love’s legal challenge to the ballot-counting process in vote-rich Salt Lake County, where the congresswoman’s Democratic rival holds a slight advantage.
The Republican incumbent — who’s trailing Democrat Ben McAdams in the 4th Congressional District race — earlier this week filed her lawsuit calling for the Salt Lake County clerk to stop opening mail-in ballots until her campaign won the right to challenge the validity of certain votes. Third District Judge Judge James Gardner on Friday dismissed her petition.
“Neither a poll watcher nor a candidate enjoys a statutory right to challenge, override or re-do the type of work by an election official at issue in this case.