This November, Utah voters will have an historic opportunity to make Utah’s voting process more fair. Passing Proposition 4 will stop Utah from being the seventh most gerrymandered state in the nation and will ensure that Utah’s voting process serves the best interests of voters, not politicians.
Currently the voting district boundaries are drawn by the politicians in office. On this year’s ballot, Proposition 4 calls for a new voter redistricting process. It begins by the governor and state legislative leaders appointing a seven-member, bipartisan, independent commission to recommend district boundaries. Two of the appointed commissioners must be unaffiliated with state political parties. The commission will meet publicly in different areas of the state to gather input. Five of the seven commission members will have to favor a new redistricting map for it to be sent to lawmakers for passage. If the commission's proposal is rejected, lawmakers must produce a written explanation for their denial.
Better Boundaries, the organization that gathered the signatures to put Proposition 4 on the ballot, states, “When politicians can draw their own districts for their own self-interest, they create noncompetitive races that harm our communities."
If Proposition 4 passes, it will allow Utah to join 17 other states that have enacted redistricting reform to ensure voting is a more democratic process.
All votes in Utah should count more equally. Please vote for Proposition 4 this November!
Arlene Braithwaite, Cedar City