This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Donald Trump's unsubstantiated assertion that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote only because of millions of illegal votes nationally doesn't sit well with Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox.
At the state's final vote canvass Monday, Republican Cox — Utah's top election official — said the president-elect's charges "are completely unsubstantiated. It does erode confidence in the bedrock foundation of our democratic republic."
Cox said he is sure that Utah had no widespread voter fraud and urged Trump to back off allegations of problems nationally.
"I feel it is dangerous and hope we can tone down that rhetoric moving forward and stick with the facts that we know," Cox said.
On Sunday, Trump reacted to the announcement of an election recount in Wisconsin and news that Clinton has 2 million more popular votes than him by alleging voter fraud in social media.
He said in a tweet that he "won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally." Later, he added in another tweet, "Serious voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California — so why isn't the media reporting on this? Serious bias — big problem."
Cox, who did not support Trump in the election, is not the only official who has criticized Trump's assertions. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Trump's "unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in California and elsewhere are absurd," adding, "His reckless tweets are inappropriate and unbecoming of a president-elect."
Also, Virginia Commissioner of Elections Edgardo Cortes told the press, "The claims of voter fraud in Virginia during the November 8 election are unfounded. ... The election was fair and all votes cast by eligible voters were accurately counted."