facebook-pixel

Letter: Politicians shouldn’t draw their own districts

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Wayne Niederhauser talks about school safety, at the senate leaders press briefing, Thursday, March 1, 2018.

Senate President Wayne Niederhauser thought he presented a good reason for having politicians draw their own districts. In the article “Utahns want independent anti-gerrymandering panel,” (Tribune, June 29), the senator said, “If voters don’t like plans drawn by legislators, they can vote them out.”

That’s precisely the problem: Legislators draw their districts so that they cannot be voted out. Niederhauser will not be in the Senate for the next session solely because he chose not to run again. Otherwise, he could have been a senator for life!

I urge Utah voters to support the ballot initiative to establish an independent redistricting commission so that our elections can be as fair and free as possible.

David R. Zangrilli, Sandy

Support free news for Utah

sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.

Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.

You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.