A question we often hear is, “Why should I vote? My elected officials do not listen.” The League of Women Voters has long worked to change that, and now the Utah Supreme Court has sent a clear message that voters’ voices must count.
A 2024 Utah Priorities survey revealed politicians not listening to citizens is a major concern. Faced with a veto-proof, one-party legislative branch, Utah citizens often feel helpless and frustrated. The Legislature’s rushed and hushed redistricting process simply compounded that feeling.
In 2016, a group of organizations and individuals met and decided to undertake the challenge of changing redistricting through an initiative focusing on fair districts. Better Boundaries was established to get the required signatures and raise money for the effort. Volunteers from the League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government and average citizens throughout the state contacted friends and neighbors, stood on street corners and visited public places to collect signatures. Signatures were checked and verified to meet the rigorous initiative requirements set by the Legislature over the years.
In 2018, citizens passed Proposition 4, which established an independent redistricting commission, set standards for fair maps and outlawed partisan gerrymandering. Proposition 4 anticipated major changes in representation following population changes shown by the decennial census count. The proposition required that the commission submit three maps to the Legislature and that the Legislature either adopt one of the maps or provide a written report explaining why a different map would better meet the neutral redistricting criteria.
Almost immediately, the Legislature repealed Proposition 4 and replaced it with SB200, making the commission solely advisory. The new law also did away with standards meant to eliminate partisan gerrymandering.
Still, a seven-member redistricting committee was appointed to draw up three possible plans for the congressional districts, state legislative districts and state school board. The commission and staff took the requirement to listen to our citizens seriously. They were conscientious, making staff available to help citizens and traveling the state as required by statute to get citizen input. Members of the League of Women Voters attended or monitored every meeting.
The Legislature’s redistricting committee met in tandem with the commission, creating confusion over the process. Tentative maps appeared on the legislative website, without any information about who was responsible.
Although the Legislature scheduled a hearing to receive the commission’s proposed maps, they chose to discard the work. Hundreds of citizens had urged them to adopt one of the three submitted maps but their pleas fell on deaf ears. With late notice to the public, the legislative committee met and introduced its own map, which quickly passed the main body.
It didn’t take long for the citizens to see the results. Salt Lake County was divided into four congressional districts. While the state’s largest county would not fit into a single voting district, the commission had drawn up some maps that divided it into only two.
For reasons that are still unclear, the Legislature insisted that each congressional district contain both rural and urban populations. The rationale denied rural Utahns a voice of their own while diluting the voting power of urban Utahns and ignoring other fair redistricting criteria required by Proposition 4.
The citizens of Utah are protected and empowered by the Utah Constitution, which gives us the right to directly initiate legislation and alter or reform our government. The Utah Supreme Court agreed and affirmed this right in its historic ruling. The court has now remanded the case back to the district court for the next steps on the way to fair maps.
Meanwhile, the League will be watching as the Legislature may try to make initiatives harder to pass. The process, while daunting and expensive, continues to activate Utah citizens who believe their votes should count. The League of Women Voters believes government should be responsive to the people, and as we often say, “Voters should choose their politicians, not the other way around.” We will continue to work toward that end.
Gigi Brandt is a 57-year member of the League and has worked on redistricting issues for over 25 years. Catherine Weller is the redistricting liaison for the League of Women Voters of Utah. Katharine Biele is the president of the League of Women Voters of Utah.