The Utah State Supreme Court recently ruled that the State Legislature’s gerrymandered House map disregarded voter preferences. The court stated that the Legislature likely violated the State Constitution in 2021 by ignoring a ballot measure that called for fair maps and instead drawing a map that divided Salt Lake City among four districts, effectively ensuring no Democrat would be elected to any House seats.
The court’s decision does not immediately change the congressional boundaries, but it affirmed the legitimacy of the 2018 ballot initiative called Proposition Four, which aimed to prevent partisan gerrymandering by setting up an independent commission to draw political maps. The Legislature had repealed this initiative and passed another law that gave them the power to set boundaries, bypassing the voters’ intentions.
According to the State Constitution, citizens have the right to alter or reform their government as needed for the public welfare. The court’s ruling now allows a lower court to hear a lawsuit challenging the Legislature’s actions. If the Legislature cannot show a compelling reason for their evasion of the ballot measure, they may be in violation of the Constitution.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including the League of Women Voters, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and Utah voters, argue that the Legislature’s actions not only violated the alter-and-reform clause but also ignored clauses guaranteeing free speech, association, and equal protection. However, the Supreme Court focused solely on the alter-and-reform issue in its ruling.
Better Boundaries, the group behind the initiative campaign, hailed the ruling as a significant victory for representative democracy in Utah. They hope that in the future, Utah voters will have more say in choosing their politicians rather than the politicians choosing their voters.
This ruling sets an important precedent for upholding voter-approved measures and preventing government overreach in redistricting processes. It emphasizes the importance of respecting voter preferences and ensuring fair representation for all citizens. It also highlights the ongoing efforts to safeguard democracy and prevent partisan manipulation of electoral maps in Utah and beyond.