It is encouraging that 3rd District Court Judge Dianna Gibson has rejected Utah’s effort to dismiss the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government lawsuit, as it challenged the Utah Legislature’s override of voting districts drawn by the Proposition 4, Better Boundaries initiative. Simultaneously, her decision to dismiss one of the claims — that the Legislature improperly overrode Proposition 4, is discouraging.
Sadly, she is correct — the Utah Constitution gives our Legislature final authority over geo-political boundaries. It also has exclusive power to initiate constitutional amendments, creating a never-ending loop of legislative power over redistricting that serves to perpetuate the status quo.
This Legislature, which felt free to choose its voters by overriding the clear will of Utahns on this matter, has also shown a strong propensity to grab power from local governments and from citizens, consolidating it for themselves.
This despotism was notably demonstrated when it stripped counties of the ability to manage the pandemic in ways best suited to local needs. Its “trigger” ban on abortions deprived women of free agency over their bodies. Laws are in the works that will further target the LGBTQ+ community and will impose a sanitized version of history and reality on our children. Ballot access and election integrity will also likely be up for debate in an environment where far too many still buy into the lie of a stolen election.
Redistricting is a 10-year U.S. census-based cycle. Thus, we can only hope that the courts will eventually give boundary relief for future elections during the current interval. Beyond that, our only hope is to upset Utah’s one-party dominance. It can be done. Utahns simply need to grasp the danger we are in and vote wisely, as if our country and our lives depend on it. They do.
Wendy Davis, Sandy