Terms Used In Utah Code > Title 20A > Chapter 4 > Part 4 - Recounts and Election Contests

• Abduction of a child: means the taking, concealing, or detaining of a child without permission from an individual entitled to custody of the child. See Utah Code 53-10-1001
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amber Alert: means an alert issued in accordance with America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response run by the bureau to assist a law enforcement agency in the recovery of an abducted child. See Utah Code 53-10-1001
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Ballot: means the storage medium, including a paper, mechanical, or electronic storage medium, that records an individual voter's vote. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Ballot proposition: means a question, issue, or proposal that is submitted to voters on the ballot for their approval or rejection including:
       (4)(a) an opinion question specifically authorized by the Legislature;
       (4)(b) a constitutional amendment;
       (4)(c) an initiative;
       (4)(d) a referendum;
       (4)(e) a bond proposition;
       (4)(f) a judicial retention question;
       (4)(g) an incorporation of a city or town; or
       (4)(h) any other ballot question specifically authorized by the Legislature. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Board of canvassers: means the entities established by Sections 20A-4-301 and 20A-4-306 to canvass election returns. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Bond election: means an election held for the purpose of approving or rejecting the proposed issuance of bonds by a government entity. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Bureau: means the Bureau of Criminal Identification within the department, created in Section 53-10-201. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Canvass: means the review of election returns and the official declaration of election results by the board of canvassers. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Child: means an individual under 18 years old. See Utah Code 53-10-1001
• Collecting facility: means a hospital, health care facility, or other facility that performs sexual assault examinations. See Utah Code 53-10-902
• Commission: means the Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Communications services: means the technology of reception, relay, and transmission of information required by a public safety agency in the performance of the public safety agency's duty. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Convention: means the political party convention at which party officers and delegates are selected. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dementia: means a person has a form of cognitive decline that significantly affects the person's ability to make decisions and provide for health, safety, or self care. See Utah Code 53-10-702
• Department: means the Department of Public Safety. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Department: means the Department of Public Safety. See Utah Code 53-10-902
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Director: means the division director appointed under Section 53-10-103. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Division: means the Criminal Investigations and Technical Services Division created in Section 53-10-103. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Election: means a regular general election, a municipal general election, a statewide special election, a local special election, a regular primary election, a municipal primary election, and a special district election. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Election judge: means a poll worker that is assigned to:
       (22)(a) preside over other poll workers at a polling place;
       (22)(b) act as the presiding election judge; or
       (22)(c) serve as a canvassing judge, counting judge, or receiving judge. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Election officer: means :
       (23)(a) the lieutenant governor, for all statewide ballots and elections;
       (23)(b) the county clerk for:

            (23)(b)(i) a county ballot and election; and

            (23)(b)(ii) a ballot and election as a provider election officer as provided in Section Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Election official: means any election officer, election judge, or poll worker. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Endangered adult: means a person 60 years of age or older or a person under 60 years of age who has a form of dementia. See Utah Code 53-10-702
• Equal: means , with respect to biological sex, of the same value. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Forensic: means dealing with the application of scientific knowledge relating to criminal evidence. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Guardian: includes a person who:
       (14)(a) qualifies as a guardian of a minor or incapacitated person pursuant to testamentary or court appointment; or
       (14)(b) is appointed by a court to manage the estate of a minor or incapacitated person. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Highway: includes :
       (15)(a) a public bridge;
       (15)(b) a county way;
       (15)(c) a county road;
       (15)(d) a common road; and
       (15)(e) a state road. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Law enforcement agency: means an entity or division of:
            (1)(e)(i)

                 (1)(e)(i)(A) the federal government, a state, or a political subdivision of a state;

                 (1)(e)(i)(B) a state institution of higher education; or

                 (1)(e)(i)(C) a private institution of higher education, if the entity or division is certified by the commissioner under Title 53, Chapter 19, Certification of Private Law Enforcement Agency; and
            (1)(e)(ii) that exists primarily to prevent and detect crime and enforce criminal laws, statutes, and ordinances. See Utah Code 53-1-102
• Law enforcement officer: means the same as that term is defined in Section 53-13-103. See Utah Code 53-1-102
• Municipal general election: means the election held in municipalities and, as applicable, special districts on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each odd-numbered year for the purposes established in Section 20A-1-202. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Municipal primary election: means an election held to nominate candidates for municipal office. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Municipality: means a city or town. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Peace officer: means any officer certified in accordance with Title 53, Chapter 13, Peace Officer Classifications. See Utah Code 53-1-102
• Person: means :
       (24)(a) an individual;
       (24)(b) an association;
       (24)(c) an institution;
       (24)(d) a corporation;
       (24)(e) a company;
       (24)(f) a trust;
       (24)(g) a limited liability company;
       (24)(h) a partnership;
       (24)(i) a political subdivision;
       (24)(j) a government office, department, division, bureau, or other body of government; and
       (24)(k) any other organization or entity. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Physical evidence: means something submitted to the bureau to determine the truth of a matter using scientific methods of analysis. See Utah Code 53-10-102
• Polling place: means a building where voting is conducted. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of a judicial proceeding. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Provider election officer: means an election officer who enters into a contract or interlocal agreement with a contracting election officer to conduct an election for the contracting election officer's local political subdivision in accordance with Section Utah Code 20A-1-102
• qualified: means to take the oath of office and begin performing the duties of the position for which the individual was elected. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Restricted kit: means a sexual assault kit:
       (3)(a) that is collected by a collecting facility; and
       (3)(b) for which a victim who is 18 years old or older at the time of the sexual assault kit evidence collection declines:

            (3)(b)(i) to have his or her sexual assault kit processed; and

            (3)(b)(ii) to have the sexual assault examination form shared with any entity outside of the collection facility. See Utah Code 53-10-902
• Runaway: means the same as that term is defined in Section 80-1-102. See Utah Code 53-10-1001
• Sexual assault kit: means a package of items that is used by medical personnel to gather and preserve biological and physical evidence following an allegation of a sexual offense. See Utah Code 53-10-902
• Sexual offense: means the same as that term is defined in Section 77-37-2. See Utah Code 53-10-902
• Special district: means a local government entity under Title 17B, Limited Purpose Local Government Entities - Special Districts, and includes a special service district under Title 17D, Chapter 1, Special Service District Act. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Vehicle: means every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, excepting devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Utah Code 53-1-102
• Victim: means an individual against whom a sexual offense has been committed or allegedly been committed. See Utah Code 53-10-902
• Voter: means an individual who:
       (79)(a) meets the requirements for voting in an election;
       (79)(b) meets the requirements of election registration;
       (79)(c) is registered to vote; and
       (79)(d) is listed in the official register book. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Voting precinct: means the smallest geographical voting unit, established under Chapter 5, Part 3, Duties of the County and Municipal Legislative Bodies. See Utah Code 20A-1-102
• Writing: includes :
       (48)(a) printing;
       (48)(b) handwriting; and
       (48)(c) information stored in an electronic or other medium if the information is retrievable in a perceivable format. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5