Draper residents casting ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, will decide a Salt Lake County district attorney race shaped by two developments that surfaced after both candidates laid out their platforms.

Incumbent Sim Gill spent the summer advising prosecutors nationwide on charging federal immigration agents who break state law. Challenger Kent Davis built his campaign around a December 2025 state audit that found Gill's office lacks written standards and adequate record-keeping.

The audit at the center of Davis's bid

State legislative auditors released a report in December 2025 finding that about 48% of a randomly selected 50-case sample of felony cases declined by Gill's office lacked detailed reasoning. The screening division lacked accessible written policies to guide charging decisions, according to Davis's campaign summary of the audit. Diversion programs created as alternatives to incarceration did not track recidivism among participants who later reoffended.

Davis, a Republican who served as Gill's deputy district attorney from 2017 to 2021, said the audit inspired his candidacy. He said the lack of recidivism tracking can contribute to a "revolving door" of criminal activity, according to the Deseret News.

"I want written standards, documented decisions and regularly published performance metrics," Davis told the Deseret News.

In his candidate questionnaire, Davis said the race is not about party. He has never held elected office and has committed to serving no more than two terms. His background includes work as a public defender, an attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice and two combat deployments to Iraq as a U.S. Army soldier and officer.

Gill's ICE accountability push

Gill delivered a presentation in July to the Major County Prosecutors Council on when local prosecutors can charge Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for alleged violations of citizens' rights, the Deseret News first reported Oct. 30. He told the Deseret News he plans to continue the discussion at a January meeting of county prosecutors.

Gill told the Deseret News he does not seek to obstruct deportations but fears surging ICE activity discourages immigrant residents from reporting crimes.

Davis said in a statement to the Deseret News that ICE agents should be treated equally under Utah law and that the district attorney has no place in civil immigration enforcement.

Gill points to outcomes

Gill, a first-generation immigrant from India seeking a fifth term, said the audit criticism is outweighed by results. He pointed to what he described as Salt Lake crime falling to the lowest level in a decade, though he acknowledged some violent crime is up, according to the Deseret News.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall told the Deseret News that Gill has led efforts to address individuals who are often chronically homeless and consume the majority of police resources.

In his candidate questionnaire, Gill said his office created Utah's first Mental Health Court, first Veterans Court and first Pre-Filing Diversion Program.