When I received my voter registration card in the mail, I glanced at my designated party affiliation, Republican, with sadness. As a lifelong Democrat over seven decades, I paused to think about how I got to this point. Why was I willing to part with my basic beliefs for political expediency?
I have lived in five states, some totally Democratic and some totally Republican. I have lived in Utah for over fifty years and my involvement in state legislative issues (other than writing a letter in support of a particular policy) has been with the Utah Legislature. My journey to becoming a “RINO” began with the 2001 redistricting process, when Salt Lake City was divided unnecessarily in two congressional districts. In 2010, I carried petitions and stood in the rain and snow to collect signatures for an unsuccessful initiative to create an independent redistricting commission. In 2011, I was insulted as a citizen when the Legislature decided on four congressional districts that would consolidate one-party control in Utah – favoring the Republican Party. To rub salt into the wound, urban Utah voters were told that it was necessary to have urban-rural districts because those citizens who lived outside urban areas were “better people.”
So, I was part of the group that decided another initiative was necessary to provide better representation of Utah residents in redistricting. I engaged in the effort to collect signatures for Proposition 4, which provided for another Independent Redistricting Commission. It passed, along with two other policy initiatives, which the Utah Legislature promptly amended. I should have realized that the Legislature would retaliate against any attempt to take power away from them. The actions of the Legislative Redistricting Committee, to arrogantly refuse to consider the work of the Utah Independent Advisory Redistricting Commission, the testimony of citizens, and emails of constituents should not have surprised me. The Utah State Constitution declares that all political power is derived from the people. It means that every Utahn -- not just those who belong to a certain political party -- have a right to have their views represented. In order to be a bigger part of the political dialogue, I registered as a Republican. Many other Utahns have had to come to the same conclusion in order to make their voice heard. If nothing else, the 2022 elections should be interesting.
Gigi Brandt, Salt Lake City