Olene Walker VOTE Certification FAQs

• Who is eligible to participate?

  Utah code requires elected county clerks and their most senior employee who assists with elections to complete all sessions (10 classes) within four years of taking office. All county clerk employees are encouraged to attend, as well as other county employees, specifically county commissioners.

• How much does the program cost?

  The State has provided funding for the county clerk and most senior employee who assists with elections. This includes travel and per diem expenses. Otherwise, the cost is $100/session. A session is a set of two classes.

• How do I receive the certification?

  A student completing five sessions, or 10 classes, AND completing the corresponding artifacts, is considered certified by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

• An artifact is required to get "credit" for completing the class. What is an artifact?

  An artifact is a work product from each class that demonstrates the concept taught in class. Whenever possible it is directly related to a task in the county election office. These artifacts can then be digitally linked to a user’s social media account to promote the user’s new skills.

• What are the core classes?

  Currently the core classes are: Process Design and Workflow Management, The History of Elections, Nuts and Bolts of Utah Elections, Democracy is a Design Problem, Navigating State and Federal Election Law, Principles of Effective Communication, and Not on our Watch: Rigged, Hacked, or Stolen?

• What can I expect as far as content?

  Classes are paired into sessions. There are 3 sessions offered each year. Each session consists of one class that is directly election related, with the second class offering a more universal workplace skill.

• When and where are classes held?

  Sessions are held three times a year at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. In general election years they are held January, March and August, while in municipal election years they are held January, March and June. In person attendance is required.