At a recent event in Orem, Utah, County Clerk Aaron Davidson used an odd choice of words to describe Commissioner Amelia Gardner. He called the Commissioner his “Nemesis.”

I met Amelia Gardner when she was the Utah County Clerk in 2020. I was filing to run for office and found it odd that most of the other candidates had brought their checkbooks with them. After speaking with another candidate, I learned that in 2018 candidates could not pay the filing fee by card, they had to use a check. 2020 was the first year candidates could use a debit card to pay the filing fee, thanks to Amelia Gardner.

The elections in Utah County ran smoothly under Gardner’s leadership, unlike the recent election run by Davidson. In the 2024 election, Utah County ran out of ink, went through enough paper that the Lt. Governor’s office felt the need to charter a plane to Arizona to ensure there would be enough paper to print more ballots, and lines for in person voting were nearly three hours long. Rather than calling Commissioner Gardner his “Nemesis”, Davidson should learn from her example.

Christine Heath, Orem