Vote for Alan

If you’re reading this, you’re doing your diligence to research candidates. Thank you for becoming an informed voter!

I’m Alan Wessman. I’m collecting signatures to qualify to run as an unaffiliated candidate for Utah House District 64 in 2026.

I’ve lived in Spanish Fork for 20 years and, like many of you, I’ve seen the tremendous growth and change that our district has experienced over that time.

I bring a moderate, problem-solving, friendly approach to politics. I’m not here to make enemies or to fight silly battles. I want to help our state House district and its residents face the real-world challenges and opportunities with a rational, facts-based mindset.

Political affiliation

I’m collecting signatures to run as an unaffiliated candidate, which means voters in the district would be electing me to represent them, not the interests of any political party.

For full disclosure, my personal voter registration is with the Forward Party of Utah. This reflects my moderate approach. I believe in and support the values and priorities of that party. However, as an elected official, my seat will be not be affiliated with any party.

Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

I strongly believe in ethical government, and my personal commitment and assurance to you is:

  • I do not have, and will not have, any financial or personal conflicts of interest as a state legislator.
  • My only investments are modest amounts in index funds and managed retirement accounts—no real estate, individual stocks, speculative ventures, or cryptocurrency.
  • I work as a software engineer for an international cybersecurity firm (see my public disclosure forms for details). While I do not view it as a conflict of interest to vote on cybersecurity issues generally, it would cross the line to be involved in anything that specially affects the interests of my employer more than other industry competitors. I don’t expect such situations to occur, but I pledge to recuse from any that do.
  • I do not carry any personal or business or campaign debt. My personal residence is paid off and I am not financially beholden to anyone.

How to support

I welcome your support. Visit the Contribute page to help fund my campaign, or reach out via email to volunteer. Please also spread the word to any other District 64 voters who are looking for someone like me to serve as their representative in the Utah House.

Who is this guy anyway?

If you’re like me, you want to know a bit about the person on your ballot. Here’s what you should know about me.

Longtime Utah resident

I’ve lived in Utah for most of my life and I am a longtime resident of Spanish Fork.

I came to Utah at the age of four when my dad ended his honorable service in the United States Navy submarine corps and took a job with Utah Power and Light as a power generation engineer. My family settled in West Valley City, where I attended Robert Frost Elementary and Valley Junior High.

My father had a job change that took our family to a rural part of western Washington state, and I spent my four years of high school there. Then another job change took the family back to West Valley City, Utah—but I headed off to college at Brigham Young University. I was honored to be a recipient of BYU’s highest scholarship award for incoming freshmen.

Aside from a two-year stint in Hokkaido, Japan, I’ve lived in Utah County ever since: Provo, Orem, and finally Spanish Fork. My wife Shannon and I are the parents of four delightful and highly amusing daughters, parents-in-law to two beloved sons-in-law, and grandparents of the cutest pair of chubby cheeks ever.

Career and community

I graduated from BYU with a bachelors in Computer Science and later earned a masters degree in the same field, also from BYU. I’ve worked as a software engineer for employers in fields ranging from higher education to mobile-app startups to cybersecurity firms. I love analyzing systems to understand what they do, identifying problems, and devising solutions—skills that I’m ready to apply to public service.

I’ve been involved in civic matters throughout my life. I was a Boy Scout as a teen and served as Scoutmaster for seven years for two different troops. I volunteered as a signature collector for an anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative (Prop 4) and for other candidates. I have attended numerous town hall and city council meetings and have frequently communicated with federal, state, and local representatives. I vote in every election and I have contributed as an unpaid volunteer to an open-source election management software project.

Political preparation

In 2022, I ran for my state House seat in Spanish Fork as a candidate for the United Utah Party. I greatly enjoyed being able to visit the homes of voters and talk with them about issues.

In 2024, I ran for the Utah County Commission seat. I attended city council meetings across the county and spoke with many citizens to learn of their concerns and interests. I also did some interviews, which you may find here:

Other interests

I’m an avid hiker, a recent first-time marathoner, a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s writing, a passable reader and speaker of Japanese, and a shameless punner. Don’t hold that last one against me!

Note about AI

Generative artificial intelligence, what we popularly call “AI” these days, is useful in many ways, but I have chosen not to use it for my campaign. I want you to read my own words and thoughts, not what a machine has best-guessed from a prompt.

Nothing you see here on this website, and nothing I post elsewhere online under my name, is AI generated. As your representative, I will continue that practice, and if I ever deviate (there had better be a good reason), I will make sure it is fully disclosed as being AI generated so you never have to guess.