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Letter: If your representatives voted for the shameful gerrymandered map, don’t reward them by re-electing them

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, left, is asked questions about redistricting during a press event at the Capitol on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021.

Speaker of the House Brad Wison was quoted as saying that he is tired of the backlash from the redistricting snafu. While I’m so sad his patience is being tried, I think a pretty good percentage of the residents of Utah, on both sides of the aisle, know exactly what that feels like.

Perhaps if the committee had tried to incorporate at least some of the recommendations from the IRC we wouldn’t be where we are right now. Maybe if the committee hadn’t created a worse redistricting than the last version, the Legislature wouldn’t be facing quite as much push back.

It’s possible that if they had been more transparent and had given more comment and debate time, maybe -- maybe -- we wouldn’t feel quite so disrespected.

The Legislature passed a blatantly gerrymandered map, thumbing their collective noses at the will of the majority of Utah voters. And Gov. Spencer Cox chose to not anger the Legislature by vetoing it, rather than making a principled stand. Yes, I understand the veto would have been overturned, but this is surely an example if there ever was one of “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

We must not let our memories of this willful disregard fade when it’s time to go to the polls again. The only message that will have any chance at all of sinking in is to fire them. While I have little confidence that this is anything more than a pipe dream, still I shout into the wind: Please don’t just blindly vote on party lines!

Let’s put our money where our mouths are and vote the lot of them out. If your reps voted for the shameful final version, don’t reward them by re-electing them. And that includes Gov. Cox.

Susan Harward, Millcreek

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