What to Look At Before You Vote

Weber County, 2026 general election. A records-based guide to choosing a candidate: what to check, where to find it, and what the public record shows for the Weber County races the Hive has reviewed.

Updated Oct. 2, 2026. All 2026 case files

The Hive does not endorse candidates. Everything in this guide comes from public records and candidates’ own public statements. Where a candidate has publicly explained something, that explanation appears next to the record.

Print or save this guide: PDF (opens in your browser, prints well) · Word document (downloads) · One-page checklist

1. How this guide works

This guide has two jobs. The first is to show you what to look at when you choose a candidate, so you can check any race yourself, in any year. The second is to show what the public record says about the Weber County races the Hive has already reviewed.

A few ground rules run through all of it:

• Records, not rumors. Everything here comes from forms candidates filed, the state business registry, campaign finance reports, meeting records, bill histories, and what candidates have said publicly. Tips, private messages, and social media claims are not used as facts.
• Their words next to the record. When a candidate has publicly explained something, their explanation is included, labeled as theirs.
• Not found is not the same as not there. When the Hive has not located a record, this guide says so and says where it looked. It does not treat a missing document as proof of anything.
• The deal, not the reputation. A candidate’s good or bad reputation doesn’t answer the question. What matters is whether their record on disclosure, money, and decisions holds up for the public.

Key voting dates (Weber County)

One published guide lists early voting starting Oct. 20; Weber County Elections’ own page lists Oct. 27–30. Call 801-399-8034 to confirm before you go. If you are mailing your ballot close to the deadline, a drop box is the safer choice.

2. Six things to look at

None of these steps requires special training. Each one uses records that are already public and free to look at.

Check 1 — Read the conflict-of-interest form, then check it

What it is. Every candidate files a conflict-of-interest disclosure. Legislative and State School Board candidates file the state form, posted at disclosures.utah.gov. County candidates file with the Weber County Clerk/Auditor, and their forms are posted at weberelections.gov. The state form has separate sections for employers, businesses owned or run, income of $5,000 or more, stocks and bonds of $5,000 or more, board seats, the spouse’s job, and other adults in the household.

How to check it. Put the form next to three other public sources:

• The Utah business registry (businessregistration.utah.gov). Search the candidate’s name. It lists businesses and nonprofits where they are an officer, manager, member, director, or registered agent.
• The candidate’s own words: campaign website, bio, social posts, and news interviews. Candidates often list their boards and businesses when they are campaigning.
• Board rosters posted by the bodies themselves (city commissions, nonprofits, homeowners associations, special districts).

What to keep in mind. Some items are optional, and the law lets a candidate withhold some employer details. A blank is not automatically a rule violation. The voter’s question is whether the form matches the public record, and whether the candidate says they would step aside on votes that touch their own interests.

Check 2 — Follow the money

Where. Legislative and State School Board reports are on disclosures.utah.gov. County candidates’ reports are on weberelections.gov. Look at:

• Individuals vs. organizations. How much comes from people, and how much from PACs, businesses, and party committees?
• Who is behind a PAC. A PAC’s name tells you very little. Look up the PAC’s own report to see its officers and who funds it.
• Timing. Money that arrives right after a primary, or right before a vote, is worth noticing. So are entries added long after the money came in, and deleted entries.
• Self-funding and in-kind help. Loans from the candidate and donated services are part of the picture too.

Check 3 — Look for a record from before the campaign

Campaign promises are easy. A record shows what someone did when it counted. Look for: bills sponsored and votes cast if they have held office; meeting minutes; public comments at hearings; letters to the editor; and past board service.

Check 4 — Map the boards and roles

• Which boards, businesses, and PACs does the candidate sit on or run, and who appointed them?
• Do any of those come before the body they are running for, for money, land, or approvals?
• Does the candidate say they would disclose and step aside when those matters come up?

Check 5 — Compare what they say with what the record shows

Candidates describe their own records in campaign materials. Treat those descriptions as claims until you can match them to bills, votes, minutes, or filings. This guide labels candidates’ descriptions of their own records as “in their own words.”

Check 6 — Ask the questions that matter to everyone

The Hive grades decisions with five questions. They work just as well for choosing a candidate. Ask them of the candidate’s record and of their answers at forums:

How the Hive grades

Each candidate is graded on those five questions, using one scale. Grades judge the record, not the person. Meeting the legal minimum earns a C, not a B. Power on campaign money uses one fixed scale for every candidate and party: A when 90% or more of the counted money comes from individual people, B at 67–89%, C at 34–66%, D at 10–33%, F under 10%. Counted money is individuals plus caucus and leadership PACs plus other organizations. Ordinary party help and the candidate’s own money are shown but not counted, and every page states how much of their own money each candidate put in. Each topic is graded on its own, and “Overall” averages only the questions that could be graded (A = 4 down to F = 0). A plus or minus shows where that average falls between letters; an average exactly halfway counts toward the higher letter, with a minus. On disclosure forms, an item voters can’t see anywhere else (a company, a board seat, a job) left off is graded D; two left off, D−; three or more, F. Legislative pay, which is public, left off with nothing else missing is graded D+. Anything named somewhere on the form counts as listed, and a form not on file is graded F. The Weber case files grade two topics for every candidate: campaign money and the disclosure form. Candidates who have held office get a third: their legislative record, graded from the bills and votes the case file documents. “—” means not enough of the record is documented yet to grade that question fairly; “PENDING” means it hasn’t happened yet.

Cautions

• Check the date on everything. Board lists, websites, and business filings change. A page may be out of date.
• One reading method is not enough for an absence. A scanned form read by a computer can come back looking blank when it isn’t. Look at the actual page before concluding something wasn’t filled in.
• Social media is a lead, not a source. A claim on Facebook tells you where to look, not what’s true.

3. Your 2026 Weber County ballot

From Weber County’s official 2026 general election ballot and the Lieutenant Governor’s Aug. 28, 2026 certification. Ballots differ by district, so check your own sample ballot at vote.utah.gov.

State School Board District 2: Joseph Kerry resigned his seat and is no longer running. He announced it on Sept. 11, 2026 (Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 14). His name was already printed on the ballot, so it still appears there. Utah Code 20A-9-207 says that when a state school board candidate withdraws 65 or fewer days before the election, the election officer must tell voters that votes cast for that candidate will not be counted, even though the name is on the ballot. The Hive has not found a formal withdrawal notice or a voter notice as of Oct. 2, and Weber County’s own 2026 voter guide still lists him. Ask Weber County Elections (801-399-8034) whether a vote for Kerry will count.

4. What the records show: races the Hive has reviewed

Each of these races has a full Hive case file online with every source. Each section follows the same order: who they are, their disclosure form, what other public records show, their own words if they gave them, and the money. Figures come from the September 30th reports (June 12–Sept. 25, 2026) unless noted.

Utah House District 6 (Plain City, Willard, Perry, parts of Farr West and Marriott-Slaterville)

Rep. Rob Bishop (R) won the seat at the April 25 Republican convention after Rep. Matthew Gwynn resigned, and was sworn in May 6. James Rich (Forward) is the challenger. No Democrat filed.

Rob Bishop (Republican, incumbent)

Who he is. Former high school teacher (1974–2002), Utah House member 1979–1994 and Speaker, state GOP chair 1997–2001, and U.S. Representative for Utah’s 1st District 2003–2021, where he chaired the House Natural Resources Committee. His form lists him as retired.

His disclosure form (read as pasted text, Oct. 2, 2026) lists one board, Cambridge Prep Academy, a Provo charter school, and “Homeowner” in the optional section. The website utahconstitution.com, signed “Utah Citizens,” lists him on its “Board of Directors” page. The group’s state registry filing, as Utah Citizens for the Constitution, lists four directors and he is not one of them, so his form matches the registry.

Other public records:

• Stokes Strategies gave $1,000 on May 5. His largest vendor, Roost Co. ($3,303.15), is Roost Communications LLC, whose members in state records are Spencer Stokes and Matthew J. Holton, at the same address as Stokes Strategies.
• Three Doers Network board members gave $2,100: Adam Gardiner, Cody Stewart and Steve Hiatt.
• $6,000 arrived May 5, the day before he was sworn in, from UCU PAC, Stokes Strategies, the Utah Association of Realtors, Comcast, Lincoln Hill Partners PAC, MJH Advisors and one individual.
• His report lists $1,000 from the Utah Association of Realtors; the Realtors’ own Primary Report, amended June 16, lists that payment as deleted.
• He paid himself $1,094.56 on April 17, purpose “Other,” after lending the campaign $2,000.
• Before 2026. Utah House 1979–1994 (Speaker in the early 1990s), state GOP chair 1997–2001, Congress 2003–2021. When his federal committee closed in 2022 it gave its last money away, including $2,000 to Utah Citizens for the Constitution on March 4, 2022 (FEC report #1579478), the group whose website lists him in its leadership. News reports citing the Center for Responsive Politics name oil and gas as his top career source, about $500,000. No ethics case involving him was found; a 2020 review often mixed up with him concerns Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia.
• Katrina Gibson’s Commission Seat A report lists $1,000 from Rob Bishop of Brigham City in February 2026 (the Gibson example in section 7). His campaign report shows no such payment.
• He has cast no Utah House votes this term. In Congress he voted for S. 47 (2019), which made the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanent, and against the Great American Outdoors Act (2020), which funded it at $900 million a year.

In his own words (Standard-Examiner, Dec. 31, 2025): “I wanted to make sure that northern Utah is not forgotten in Salt Lake City.” “Water issues are going to be extremely important in the future.”

Money: $32,181 raised in 2026: 56.7% from 22 businesses, PACs and associations, 37.1% from 16 individuals, and 6.2% his own money marked as loans. One gift ($100) lists a Box Elder or Weber address besides his own. Largest: Provo Mining and Construction $5,000 and Tim & Marcia Stewart of Logan $5,000. Spent $7,608.93, 77% to two consulting firms.

James Rich (Forward)

Who he is. President and software developer at Edward A.E. Rich and Associates, a business-accounting software company; lives in Perry.

His disclosure form lists his company, his income source, his stocks (AMD and Ferrari) and his wife’s employer, which the form asks for only if the filer sees a possible conflict. That goes beyond what the form requires.

Other public records: his campaign gave $53.99 to “Libby for Utah” (HD8) and $54 to Gary C. New’s commission campaign on April 29. Shelton’s report lists a $53.99 door-hanger gift from “MoveForwardWithUs,” the name on Rich’s website, first dated the same day.

In his own words (BallotReady): “Finding ways to preserve and restore the Great Salt Lake while also providing water to agriculture and other needs is a high priority.” He opposes the Box Elder County data center.

Money: $5,182.86 in 2026: $1,148.85 cash and $4,034.01 in-kind. The Forward Party gave $3,054.42 in voter data and video (59%); his company gave $550. About $185 came from inside the district.

HD6 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure forms:

Bishop’s legislative record: PENDING for the Utah House (no votes yet this term). His congressional land votes are graded item by item in the case file: S. 47 B, Great American Outdoors Act D.

Full case file: hd6-bishop-rich.html

Utah House District 7 (North Ogden)

Rep. Ryan Wilcox (R) is the incumbent. Bianca Mittendorf (D) is the challenger.

Ryan D. Wilcox (Republican, incumbent)

Who he is. Federal Relations Director at Intermountain Health and owner of Next Play Strategic, Inc. He also served in the House from 2008 to 2014.

His disclosure form (read as pasted text, Oct. 1, 2026) lists his job, his business, his income source, and two board seats (Ogden School Foundation and Major Brent Taylor Foundation). He also lists his wife’s employer and his home, which goes beyond what the form requires. His legislative pay as a sitting representative is not listed anywhere on the form, so it is graded D+ (Oct. 3, 2026; earlier B). The form does not ask about relatives.

Other public records:

• Family ties not on any form. Kerry Gibson is his uncle and Katrina Gibson his aunt by marriage, per family obituaries. Utah Forward PAC, which Katrina Gibson runs, paid Wilcox $3,000 in January 2026. That same month Wilcox and his wife gave $500 to Katrina Gibson’s commission campaign, and he endorsed her. Neither transaction disclosed the relationship.
• A $500 gift from 1-800 Contacts dated July 8, 2026 first appears in his filings Sept. 30, 84 days later, outside the 31-day reporting window. The case file makes no finding about penalties.
• Lincoln Hill Partners PAC gave him $6,750 from 2023 to 2026. The PAC’s upstream donors are not yet documented.
• From 2022 to 2026, 114 of his 743 report entries were amended and 17 were deleted. On his 2025 Year End Report, 50 of 58 items were added the day after the due date.
• Spending lines labeled “Donations” this period went to Walmart ($732.41, $60.02, $42.06), Amazon Marketplace ($160.83) and Big 5 ($51.48). He paid ALEC $225.

Money: $15,001 raised in 2026. This period: $8,501, of which 59% was his own money ($5,000), 35% from groups (U-CAR PAC $1,001, the Committee to Elect Brad Wilson $1,000, 1-800 Contacts $500, Altria $500), and 6% from individuals. Cash on hand: $1,007.28.

Bianca Mittendorf (Democratic)

Who she is. Human Resources and Equity Director at the Utah Education Association and a research assistant in the University of Utah’s Department of Special Education.

Her disclosure form (read as pasted text, Oct. 1, 2026) lists both jobs and her board seat (Rise Virtual Academy). She also lists her husband’s current and previous employers, which goes beyond what the form requires.

Other public records: a $501.94 payment on Aug. 29 lists the payee only as “check.” Her largest vendors are Apollo Political ($1,815), Peter Hildyard ($1,335.94) and CM Consulting Services ($1,250). She received $2,160 in in-kind help, led by a $1,500 candidate video.

Money: $15,866.23 raised in 2026. This period: $6,874.76, 83% from about 50 individuals and 17% from groups (IBEW PAC $1,000; Women’s Democratic Club $150). Largest donor: Katherine Matheson, $2,000. Cash on hand: $401.15.

HD7 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure forms:

Wilcox’s legislative record (2026 session):

Why: he voted for S.B. 134 and H.B. 392. Of his 26 primary-sponsored bills, 11 were signed. H.B. 220 adds public-safety data reporting but says the state commission does not have to fill records requests for raw portal data; H.B. 72 adds limits, warnings and receipts at cryptocurrency kiosks; H.B. 24 lowers some driving offenses to infractions. His H.B. 39 (independent jail and prison inspections) and H.J.R. 23 (sponsors must state each bill’s problem and goals) did not pass. Bill descriptions are from the Better Utah Institute tracker’s posting of the official descriptions.

Full case file: hd7-mittendorf-wilcox.html

Utah House District 8 (Ogden Valley, Pleasant View, North Ogden, Mountain Green)

A three-way race. Rep. Jason Kyle (R) has held the seat since 2023.

Jason B. Kyle (Republican, incumbent)

Who he is. EHS manager at Biomerics.

His disclosure form lists his employer and job, with no business entities, outside income of $5,000 or more, stocks or board seats. He also lists his wife’s current and previous employers, which goes beyond what the form requires. His legislative pay as a sitting representative is not listed anywhere on the form, so it is graded D+ (Oct. 3, 2026; earlier B).

His record:

• HB 300 (his bill, signed) extends a school-district hold-harmless period; the case file notes it is not a tax cut.
• HJR 5, HB 424 and HB 262 (his bills, all failed) would have changed how judges are nominated and retained; HB 262 would have raised the retention threshold to 67%. The Utah State Bar formally opposed HB 424.
• HB 543 (his bill, failed): the substitute adopted in the committee where he is vice chair removed the creditor-priority repeal, with no testimony on record. The Utah Bankers Association and Utah Credit Union PAC are among his top donors.
• He voted for S.B. 134 and H.B. 392, which are under constitutional challenge.

In his own words (jasonbkyle.com): he will “fight against tax increases” and “protect your tax dollars.” The case file did not find a bill of his that cuts a tax or blocks an increase.

Money: $13,379.33 raised in 2026: 77% from 15 groups and 23% from individuals. Largest this period: Weber County Republican Party $3,000, Google $1,000, UHREC $1,000. Cash on hand: $35,852.22. Career total $79,736.39, 69% from PACs and corporations.

Kim James (Democratic)

Who she is. Retired United Methodist pastor (Ogden First UMC, 2013–2025), now a part-time chaplain at Ogden Regional Medical Center.

Her disclosure form lists her current and previous jobs and her seat as chair of a church pension and health board. No businesses, outside income or stocks. That meets the law.

Money: $32,143.03 raised in 2026: 67% from individuals and 33% from groups (UINPAC $7,500, Weber County Democratic Party $2,000, Teamsters Local 222 $750). This period she spent $15,930 of $19,139.59 on mailers from Postcardmania.

Libby Shelton (Forward)

Who she is. A therapist and Weber County vice chair of the Forward Party of Utah; her platform centers on election reform and ethics oversight.

Her disclosure form withholds her employers and spouse under Utah Code 20A-11-1604(7)(a), which the law allows. She lists her unpaid party office, which goes beyond what the form asks.

Money: $768.06 raised in 2026, all from individuals, about half from herself; her largest support is a $2,365 voter-data package from the Forward Party, reported as in-kind.

HD8 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure forms:

Kyle’s legislative record (2026 session):

Why: he voted for S.B. 134 and H.B. 392, which shift power over courts and narrow who can move a constitutional case, and his own judicial bills (HJR 5, HB 424, HB 262) pushed the same way but failed. HB 543’s substitute passed his committee with no recorded testimony, and HB 261, his warrant bill, gained a data-broker exception after its only hearing. HB 300’s school-funding phase-out is written out plainly. His HB 530 permitting office has no documented environmental effect yet, so that question isn’t graded.

Full case file: jason-kyle-hd8.html

Utah House District 9 (West Haven, central Ogden, northern Roy)

A rematch. Rep. Jake Sawyer (R) beat Angela Choberka (D) in 2024, 58.3% to 36.8%.

Jake Sawyer (Republican, incumbent)

Who he is. Elected in 2024; his employer is Sawyer & Co, a company he owns.

His disclosure form (July 2026) lists Sawyer & Co as his employer, with him as “Owner,” but answers “n/a” to the question about businesses he owns or runs. The state registry lists Sawyer & Co, LLC (formed July 8, 2026) with him as a member. Because the company is named on the form, it counts as listed. His legislative pay as a sitting representative is not listed anywhere on his January or July form, so the form is graded D+ (Oct. 3, 2026; earlier D).

Other public records:

• His campaign paid Politix LLC $6,017.79 (co-owned by Kerry and Katrina Gibson) and Xalisco $5,068.18 (members include Kerry Gibson).
• He paid Golden Key Consulting $3,130 on Sept. 17; its registration expired April 5, 2023.
• $1,550 in late-reporting fines and 15 deleted entries, including a $3,000 UHREC gift removed in 2024.
• Three PACs gave on the same day, Sept. 4, 2025. Committee absences began in November 2025.
• He signed a U.S. Term Limits pledge on Nov. 14, 2024; no such resolution appears in his record.

In his own words: “My top priority will be lowering the cost of housing” (Standard-Examiner).

Money: $31,951 raised in 2026; this period $22,951, all from groups, including House Speaker Leadership PAC $10,000 and UHREC $5,000 on Aug. 24. Across all years, 98.5% of his $94,901 came from groups. Cash on hand: $20,516.76.

Angela Choberka (Democratic)

Who she is. Ogden City Council chair (District 1), Select Health program manager, and Weber State adjunct.

Her disclosure form lists her jobs and her boards (Lantern House, Weber-Morgan Board of Health, Weber Local Homeless Trust, MLK Jr. Human Rights Commission). That meets the law.

Other public records: Elevate Strategies ($6,471.28) and Apollo Political ($4,200) are listed only as “Campaign Expense” and make up over 70% of her 2026 spending. A PAC whose only documented funder is Mike Schultz ($120,000) ran ads against her in June 2026.

In her own words (public comment, Oct. 1, 2026): “I just checked and no details for the campaign expenses are showing up on the report although in many cases I did enter a description. This may be a problem with the website.” The full exchange is on the case file.

Money: $48,300.97 raised in 2026; this period $20,339.13, 75.2% from about 106 individuals. Across all years she has raised $137,267.91. Cash on hand: $12,241.37.

HD9 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure forms:

Sawyer’s legislative record (2026 session):

Why: he voted for S.B. 134 and H.B. 392. His HB 493, signed, requires chemical-disclosure labels on menstrual products, which gives the public information it didn’t have. HB 395, struck, would have routed all real estate closings through one state-picked vendor. Four of his other bills were never given text. The case file separately grades his campaign promises against this record: D, promises not kept.

Full case file: hd9-choberka-sawyer.html

Utah House District 10 (East and South Ogden)

An open seat. Rep. Jill Koford (R) is running for Senate District 5. Rosemary Lesser (D) held the seat from 2021 to 2024.

Jim Alvey (Republican)

Who he is. Retired Intermountain Northern Region PR and marketing director and founder of Alvey Media Group.

His disclosure form lists him and his wife as “Retired,” with no business entities and no income sources of $5,000 or more. His campaign bio describes Alvey Media Group as active after “almost 35 years,” with clients including Intermountain Health, Gore-Tex and Browning.

Other public records:

• He formed a nonprofit corporation, “VoteJimAlvey,” on Feb. 24, 2026, for “supporting a political candidate,” and dissolved it Aug. 17, 2026, the day he was asked about it. It never appeared on his form, and disclosures.utah.gov shows no transactions for it.
• His filings list 6066 S 2400 E, a property owned by another family’s trust; his own trust owns 6062 S 2400 E. The address was still listed Sept. 30.
• He filed his September 30th and General reports in June and filled them in later by amendment, which the case file calls legal but not standard practice.

In his own words (public Facebook exchange, Aug. 17, 2026): “Clearly hit a 6 instead of a 2. That has been corrected.” “There was 0 activity... It was unnecessary to create an EIN – a lesson I learned in the process.”

Money: $78,310 raised in 2026: 88% from PACs and party and 12% from individuals. House Speaker Leadership PAC $25,000, UHREC $20,000 and NUPAC $15,000 list the same treasurer, Kyle Palmer, and total $60,000 (77%). Cash on hand: $50,389.43.

Rosemary T. Lesser (Democratic)

Who she is. OB/GYN physician and Air Force veteran (15 years); appointed to HD10 in January 2021 and served through 2024.

Her disclosure form lists her board seats (including Boys & Girls Clubs of Weber-Davis, Envision Utah and WSU’s Richards Institute for Ethics), and her employment answers follow the form’s one-year rule. The case file reports no gaps.

Money: $121,791.34 raised in 2026: 70% from individuals and 30% from PACs and groups. Largest: her husband ($11,600 including in-kind), Utah Investment Network PAC ($7,500), and several $5,000 gifts. Cash on hand: $66,869.83.

HD10 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure and filings:

Full case file: hd10-lesser-alvey.html

Utah House District 11 (Washington Terrace, Riverdale)

Rep. Katy Hall (R) has held the seat since 2023. Dave Calder (D) is the challenger.

Katy Hall (Republican, incumbent)

Who she is. Registered nurse at Ogden Regional Medical Center.

Her disclosure form. Her January 2026 form listed her ownership of Tava Town LLC. Her July 11, 2026 form (re-read as pasted text, Oct. 1) answers “n/a” on owned businesses. It lists 29 stocks, two employers and five properties. Her legislative pay is also not listed anywhere on the form; with Tava Town LLC left off, the grade stays D.

Other public records:

• She holds Boeing, Johnson & Johnson and Nucor stock; those companies’ PACs gave her $500, $600 and $1,800.
• Seven of her nine 2026 primary-sponsored bills touch health care; health-care groups are among her donors this cycle.
• She co-sponsored HB 236, which adds a tax-impact disclosure with a one-year enforcement grace period.

In her own words (campaign site): she supports “market solutions like price transparency, reduced regulations, and telemedicine instead of government mandates or socialized medicine.”

Money: $31,802 raised in 2026; this period $20,951, 54% from 15 groups and 46% from about 45 individuals. Cash on hand: $36,692.16.

Dave Calder (Democratic)

Who he is. Retired Air Force officer and mechanical engineer; Distinguished Research Engineer at the University of Dayton Research Institute. First run for office.

His disclosure form lists his job, military retirement pay, an unpaid HOA board seat and his spouse. The case file reports no gaps.

Money: $10,766.89 raised in 2026; this period $5,361.08, 57% from about 35 individuals and 43% from groups (Weber County Democratic Party $2,000). Cash on hand: $3,772.09.

HD11 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure forms:

Hall’s legislative record (2026 session):

Why: she voted for S.B. 134 and H.B. 392. Her four signed bills add public reporting and standing: H.B. 566 (a public quarterly Medicaid spending dashboard and improper-payment reporting), H.B. 527 (pharmacy-benefit-manager pricing disclosure with fines), H.B. 380 (hospital workplace-violence reporting), and H.B. 51 (adoption agencies must be nonprofits; birth parents get independent counsel and 72 hours to revoke consent). Bill descriptions are from the Better Utah Institute tracker’s posting of the official descriptions.

Full case file: hd11-calder-hall.html

Utah House District 12 (Roy, Hooper)

House Speaker Mike Schultz (R) has held the seat since 2015. Anna Graff (D) is the challenger.

Mike Schultz (Republican, incumbent)

Who he is. Speaker of the House since November 2023; president of Castle Creek Homes and a real estate developer.

His disclosure form (2026) lists 25 entities, mostly apartment, homebuilding, ranching and hotel companies, and answers “None” to the board question. The state business registry lists active roles that aren’t on it: director of Village at the Bluff Homeowners Association, officer of Coles Crossing Homeowners Association, sole manager of Syracuse Land Investments, LLC, and sole member of Eastgate Affinity, LLC. His 2019 form listed two board seats. His legislative pay is also not on the 2026 form. His House bio says he stepped away from homebuilding in 2023; the 2026 form still lists both building companies as owned and as income.

Other public records:

• He directs three PACs: House Speaker Leadership PAC, the Utah House Republican Election Committee (UHREC), and Northern Wasatch HBA PAC. With his personal account, they held about $712,000 in August reports.
• Irish Elk LLC (Kyle Palmer) was paid $38,305 by two of those PACs.
• His PACs gave to allied candidates across the state, including $25,000 to Rep. Teuscher. In Weber County, House Speaker Leadership PAC gave $25,000 to Jim Alvey (HD10) and $10,000 to Jake Sawyer (HD9) this cycle.
• He is reported as the sole backer ($120,000) of Preserving Utah Values PAC, which ran ads in Weber County races.
• His personal account received $5,000 from “PAC Management Services,” whose underlying donors are not named.

In his own words: government should create the conditions to thrive “and then get out of the way”; he pledges to fight “unnecessary government red tape” and “corrupt special interest groups.”

Money (personal account, 2026): $73,100: 48% his own money and 49% from companies, PACs and associations. Top this period: Utah HOSPAC $10,000 and Utah Association of Realtors $4,500. Cash on hand: $89,282.60.

Anna Graff (Democratic)

Who she is. Works in the arts, serves on her city’s Planning Commission, and is married to an active-duty Air Force officer. First run for state office.

Her disclosure form (read as pasted text, Oct. 2, 2026) lists her job as an intimacy director at On Pitch Performing Arts in Layton, no businesses, income sources or stocks, and her seat on the Roy City Planning Commission. She also lists her husband’s employers, BAE Systems Inc. and the Air Force Reserves, which goes beyond what the form requires.

In her own words: she wants to “strengthen our avenues to ensure accountability, not protections from responsibility.”

Money: about $4,341 raised in 2026 through Sept. 16, about 68% from individuals and no PAC or corporate money.

HD12 report cards

Campaign money:

Disclosure forms:

Schultz’s legislative record:

Why: he voted for H.B. 392 (56–15–4). His 2023 HB 491 created a Great Salt Lake Commissioner with no authority over water rights, added a new protected-records category to the state records law, and saw its funding cut from $40 million to $10 million with no reason in the minutes; it did create real lake governance and a fund. His 2026 HB 274 adds Sentencing Commission seats. HB 563 is still pending.

Full case file: hd12-graff-schultz.html

Utah Senate District 5 (Davis, Morgan and Weber)

An open seat. Sen. Ann Millner (R) is not seeking reelection.

Jill F. Koford (Republican)

Who she is. Represents House District 10 since 2025; owns Creative Design Ink.

Her disclosure form (Jan. 10, 2026; read as pasted text Oct. 1) lists 21 businesses, 33 stock holdings including Google, and two unpaid boards. The state registry shows three roles that are not on it: director of North Fork Meadows Owners Association, manager of Scoots Industries LLC, and director of Ogden Regional Airport Association. Her legislative pay is also not on the form. The case file calls this a documented gap between public records, not a claim about intent.

Other public records:

• NUPAC (founded 2018; officers Millner, Rep. Casey Snider and Kyle Palmer) gave her $42,500 from 2022 to 2024. Her campaign began paying Palmer’s Irish Elk LLC in 2025; it has paid $38,712.
• UHREC sent her $10,000 in December 2025, and it went back Jan. 15, 2026. Her entry for the return was deleted and not re-entered. The case file offers a plausible explanation: UHREC is the House caucus committee, and she had filed for the Senate.
• Google gave her $2,000. She sponsored HB 76 on data-center water reporting, and her form lists Google stock of $5,000 or more.
• Her PID disclosure bill, HB 422, passed the House 66–1 but did not become law. She moved to hold HB 533 (Groundwater Amendments) in committee.

In her own words: Utah’s tax structure is “unduly complicated” partly because of “the creation of taxing districts led by unelected board members”; she wants to “put the authority back in the hands of elected officials that voters hold accountable.”

Money: $82,848.67 in 2026, including a $12,873.67 transfer from her House account: 50.2% from PACs, parties, businesses and campaigns and 34.3% from individuals. Career total $426,114.03, including $177,500 from five PAC and party committees. Cash on hand: $42,916.40.

“CJ” Christina Hernandez (Democratic)

Who she is. Retired U.S. diplomat (State Department, 2005–2020), raised in Weber County. First run for office.

Her disclosure form (read as pasted text Oct. 1) lists her State Department retirement, the mutual funds in her IRA, and her unpaid seat on Weber State’s National Advisory Council. She also lists her husband’s previous employer, her stepson’s job and her home, which goes beyond what the form requires.

Other public records: every contribution was added to her report within 11 days of receipt. She had no PAC or party money before June 23; groups have since given $17,006.25. Her largest vendor is Apollo Political.

Money: $88,524.51 in 2026: $25,000 of her own money (28.2%), about $46,518 from individuals (52.5%) and $17,006 from groups (19.2%). Cash on hand: $8,861.

SD5 report cards

Campaign money:

Koford’s money grade was revised Oct. 2, 2026, from C to D, then set on the Hive’s fixed scale the same day. On that scale, 40.6% of her counted 2026 money came from individuals, a C on Power. Transparency stays D because her entry for UHREC’s returned $10,000 was deleted and never re-entered. Her career record on the case file still shows $177,500 from five PAC and party committees, including $92,500 net from two committees whose treasurer, Kyle Palmer, owns the firm her campaign has paid $38,712 (the same pattern appears in HD10). Her own money in 2026 is the $12,873.67 balance moved from her House campaign; her lifetime self-funding is $24,215.40, filed as loans.

Disclosure forms:

Koford’s legislative record:

Full case file: sd5-koford-hernandez.html

State School Board District 2

Joseph Kerry (R) resigned his seat and is no longer running (announced Sept. 11, 2026); his name is still printed on the ballot. Kacee Weaver (D) is the remaining active candidate. This race is not graded. Kerry’s record is kept below for reference.

Joseph Kerry (Republican; resigned, no longer running)

Who he is. Chairs the State Board’s Law & Licensing Committee; associate dean at Ensign College.

His disclosure form lists Littlecloud Media and Bible Rescue. The case file reports three roles not on it: Joe for Utah LLC, his chair and vice-chair roles at Path Forward Utah, and his registered-agent role at Colonial Specialty Co.

Other public records: on Dec. 9, 2025, Path Forward Utah submitted advocacy to the committee he chaired; the committee record does not show whether he disclosed his role or stepped aside. $4,622.23 in contributions was removed from amended filings from 2022 to 2026.

Money: his 2026 Year End Report, filed Sept. 30 after he withdrew, shows $3,490.58 raised and $5,976.43 spent, ending at negative $5,164.05. 32 of 37 spending lines are marked as loans, meaning he fronted $4,934.84 himself. One payment, $420 to Logan Page on Sept. 20, came after his withdrawal.

Kacee Weaver (Democratic)

Who she is. Director and head of school at Maria Montessori Academy, North Ogden.

Her disclosure form listed her Ogden Nordic Resort board seat; a June 25, 2026 amendment added Western Montessori Collective. The case file reports no business entities or ties to education companies.

Money: $5,982.20 raised in 2026 through Sept. 25. Her September 30th Report (submitted Sept. 27) lists $2,797.56 from 32 entries, all from individuals except $150 from the Women’s Democratic Club. Largest gifts: $500 each from Carol Lear (a sitting State Board member), Patrick de Freitas and Eric Householder. She spent $4,129.42 this period, 72% on signs from Wright Signs. Cash on hand: $1,032.28.

Full case file: joseph-kerry.html

U.S. House District 2

Rep. Blake Moore (R) is the incumbent; Peter Crosby (D) is the challenger. Also on the ballot: Daniel Cottam (Libertarian), Carlton E. Bowen (Independent American) and Robert M. Moesinger (unaffiliated). Weber County is split between the 2nd and 3rd districts; your sample ballot shows which you vote in. The 2nd District debate is Oct. 13.

• Money (through June 30). Moore’s July report shows $2,565,317.31 raised since the 2024 election: $1,426,000 from PACs and other committees (58.5% of contributions) and $1,011,572.23 from individuals, with $1,886,961.70 in cash. Crosby reports $60,224.97, all from individuals except $175.48 of his own, and $23,283.12 in cash. No PAC money.
• Where Moore’s money went. Largest payees in the pages read: Strategic Media Placement (ads) $499,746.36; KB Strategic Group (fundraising) $259,776.66; Gathering Inc. of Ogden $164,090; the national party committee $161,000; Election Hive $150,318.11 in 14 payments; Irish Elk LLC of Layton $86,281.50. Election Hive, Gathering Inc. and Irish Elk also appear in the Hive’s Weber and SD-5 files.
• Outside money in the primary. Two super PACs spent more than $600,000 in June. The Deseret News described one ($485,213.07) as attacking Moore and the other, Defending Utah Values, as backing him; that PAC used Election Hive for its 3rd District ads.
• His accomplishments, checked. Most items on his House website became law. One (Chinese circuit boards) is listed under the 2024 defense bill; his own 2021 release and the law place it in the 2022 bill. Three were other members’ bills he sponsored the House version of or cosponsored. The Great Salt Lake saline-lakes law authorizes $5 million a year through 2027; the Hive found no spending bill that funded it.
• Disclosure. His 2025 report lists a blind trust ($1–5 million), a Washington rental ($1–5 million) and his wife’s Boyer family partnership holdings, each over $1 million. In 2021, about 70 stock trades were reported late; his office paid the late fee.

Moore’s record, item by item: saline-lakes law B, accomplishments page D, earmark disclosure B. Crosby has no voting record.

Full case file: ut2-moore-crosby.html

Peter Crosby (D) sent a statement, printed as submitted; it is his own view, not a case file. The offer stays open to every candidate.

Candidate statement: crosby-statement-ut2.html

5. One pattern across several Weber races

Check 2 says to look up who is behind a PAC. In Weber County, three PACs show up again and again in the case files: the House Speaker Leadership PAC, the Utah House Republican Election Committee (UHREC), and NUPAC. Speaker Mike Schultz directs the first two. The HD10 case file reports that all three list the same treasurer, Kyle Palmer, whose firm Irish Elk LLC is also paid by these PACs and by candidates.

Giving to candidates is legal, and the case files note that paying a PAC’s treasurer from several committees is permitted under current law. The voter’s question is the one from Check 2: who funds these PACs, and what does a network that funds many candidates at once expect from them?

6. Races the Hive has not reviewed — where to look

These races are on Weber ballots, but the Hive has not reviewed the candidates’ records. Use the six checks above. Everything listed below is posted publicly.

U.S. House money, from the FEC (through June 30, 2026)

From each committee’s FEC page, read Oct. 2, 2026. Cycle is Jan. 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 unless noted; October quarterly reports are due Oct. 15. No FEC committee was found for Cottam, Bowen, Easley, Stoddard or Scott; candidates must register only after raising or spending $5,000.

County candidates: what could be read

Most county filings on weberelections.gov are scanned images. These were readable as text on Oct. 2, 2026; the rest are listed as not yet read, not as blank.

• Gary C. New (Forward, Commission A): form lists self-employment as a computer consultant, ownership of Teancum Systems, and stock holdings; no boards. His Convention Report shows $1,000.19 raised, all his own money marked as loans, spent on the filing fee, a meal and web domains.
• Jared Preisler (Assessor): form lists DataMaster USA and J. Leland & Company, which he co-owns and where his wife works, and board seats with the Appraisal Institute’s Utah chapter and the Utah Association of Appraisers. The form’s year was not confirmed. His Convention Report lists $2,854.07, all from himself and his wife.
• Chris Allred (Attorney) and Ryan Arbon (Sheriff): Convention Reports show $1,147.66 and $879.97, all spent. Their forms are scanned and not yet read.
• Not yet read (scanned): Kearsley, Thurgood, Beesley, both school-board races, Hatch, and Weaver’s county filing.

On Oct. 2, 2026, the county’s 2026 Candidate Financial Reports page showed no general-election reports yet for Kearsley or the contested school-board races. That is what the county had posted, not a finding that anyone missed a deadline.

Commission primary reports, read page by page

County Commission primaries (June 23, 2026): in Seat A, Duane Kearsley won (31.2%) over James Ebert, Katrina Gibson and Richard Hyer. In Seat B, Jon Beesley beat incumbent Sharon Bolos, 55.6% to 44.4% (Standard-Examiner, June 25, 2026).

These four reports are scanned images with no text layer, so the Hive read each page by eye and checked that every column adds to the total printed on the form. All three candidates lost in the June primary and are not on the November ballot. They matter here because of who paid and who got paid.

• One owner, two vendors. State business records list Matthew Lusty as manager and registered agent of Election Hive LLC and as sole member and manager of Honey Communications LLC, both at the same Salt Lake City office. Together they received $12,395.33 from Gibson’s campaign in about seven weeks. Election Hive’s clients, per its own site and Lusty’s profile, include Rep. Blake Moore (UT-2).
• Shared vendors and donors. Express Digital Direct printed mail for both Gibson and Bolos. Right Insight and photographer Kevin Johnson were paid by both Gibson and Hyer. The Realtors gave $1,500 each to Gibson and Hyer.
• The Bishop check is not in these two Gibson reports. They cover May 28 to July 20. The $1,000 from Rob Bishop is dated February 2026 and appears in her earlier report.
• Contributor addresses. Gibson’s forms list street addresses (blacked out on the posted copy). Hyer’s and Bolos’s list city only.

7. Same form, different answers

Every legislative candidate in this guide filed the same state disclosure form, with a section for each kind of interest. Read from the filed forms, here is how the answers compare:

A form with sections makes the gaps easier to see. It still depends on the filer, and on someone checking. The form also never asks about relatives, which is why the family questions below matter.

What you can do: ask the people who receive the forms

• Legislative and State School Board forms are filed with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office (disclosures.utah.gov). Ask who reviews a form when a registry search shows roles that are not on it, and what happens next.
• County forms are filed with the Weber County Clerk/Auditor (Weber County Elections, 2380 Washington Blvd., Suite 320, Ogden; 801-399-8034; elections@weberelections.gov). State law (Utah Code §17-70-304) says a county candidate’s form must have a section for each item, must be filed with the declaration of candidacy, and must be posted on the county website. Ask the office to post every 2026 candidate’s form in one place.

Better questions make better transparency

A clearer form would ask each of these every time, so a blank line means “none,” not “I didn’t think it mattered”:

1. List every business, LLC, nonprofit or PAC where you are an owner, member, manager, officer, director or treasurer, with its state entity number.
2. List every board, district, association or commission you sit on, paid or unpaid.
3. Are you related to anyone running for or holding office in Utah, at any level, including relatives who don’t live with you?
4. Are you related to anyone who lobbies, does business with the government you are running for, or works for a company that does?
5. For each item: does it come before the body you are running for? Will you step aside on those votes?

Why the family questions matter: two Weber County examples

These examples show real connections going unlisted because the disclosure forms don’t ask the questions that would let voters make educated decisions. Both candidates lost their June 2026 primaries; the point is the form.

The Gibson family. Katrina Gibson ran for Commission Seat A. Her form listed her husband’s employer as “N/A.” Kerry Gibson is a registered lobbyist whose active clients include Ogden City, Plain City, Morgan County and Wolf Creek Management, John Lewis’s company. Rep. Ryan Wilcox (HD7) is Kerry’s nephew, per family obituaries. Utah Forward PAC, where Katrina is CFO and registered agent, paid Wilcox $3,000 on Jan. 21, 2026; Wilcox gave $500 to her campaign and endorsed her. The PAC also paid Steven Gibson $1,000, filed as “Donations” (July 29, 2025); Kerry wished him “happy birthday cuz” in a Facebook post. And it paid $7,158 to Politix LLC, which Kerry and Katrina own. Rep. Jake Sawyer’s campaign (HD9) has also paid Politix LLC.

The Bolos family. Commissioner Sharon Bolos, West Haven mayor from 2014 to 2021, has a brother, Bryan Arrington, whom state corporate records list as manager of Nilson Land Holdings LLC. Nilson Homes came before her West Haven council more than 11 times from 2015 to 2018 and before the County Commission in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with no disclosure of the family tie in the minutes. She has said he no longer works there in that capacity; her brother Jeffrey Arrington wrote publicly on Facebook that Bryan “does still work there.” Her daughter, Alexis Bolos Jackson, was elected to the Roy City Council in 2025 and sits on the Weber County RAMP committee, a seat the Commission appoints.

None of these relationships had to be listed on the forms.

8. Where to find the records

• Weber County Elections (dates, vote centers, drop boxes): www.weberelections.gov
• Weber County candidate financial disclosures: www.weberelections.gov/financialdisclosures
• Utah campaign finance and candidate disclosures: disclosures.utah.gov
• Utah business registry: businessregistration.utah.gov
• Utah voter information, sample ballots, pamphlet: vote.utah.gov
• Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission: judges.utah.gov
• Federal campaign finance: www.fec.gov
• The Hive’s 2026 candidate case files: weber-county-hive.github.io/candidates2026/
• The Hive’s questionnaire for every candidate: weber-county-hive.github.io/candidates2026/six-questions-every-candidate.html

Sources used in this guide

• Weber County official 2026 general election ballot; Lieutenant Governor’s 2026 General Election Certification (Aug. 28, 2026).
• Weber County Elections: vote center, early voting and drop box page; financial disclosures page (checked Oct. 2, 2026). vote.utah.gov current election information (ballots mailed Oct. 13; registration deadline Oct. 23).
• The Hive’s case files for HD6, HD7, HD8, HD9, HD10, HD11, HD12, SD5 and State School Board District 2, each with its own source list; forms read as noted in each file.
• September 30th Reports and earlier reports, disclosures.utah.gov; Utah Division of Corporations filings as cited in each case file.
• Standard-Examiner, June 25, 2026 (Weber County Commission primary results); Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 14, 2026 (Kerry).
• Utah Lobbyist Registry (Kerry Gibson); Utah Forward PAC filings; Weber County Commission and West Haven City Council minutes; family obituaries (Gibson).
• Utah Code §17-70-304 and §20A-11-1604.