Utah Could Establish an Independent Commission to Draw Voting Districts
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What the Initiative Does
Utah Proposition 4 would create a seven-member independent redistricting commission to draft maps for congressional and state legislative districts. The commission would draw up redistricting plans, and submit them to the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, who’d then forward plans to the Utah State Legislature for approval or rejection.
The commission would use the following standards for the redistricting process, in descending priority:
- Adhering to federal law and achieving equal population between districts;
- Minimizing divisions of municipalities and counties across multiple districts;
- Making districts geographically compact;
- Making districts that are contiguous and allow for ease of transport throughout the district;
- Preserving traditional neighborhoods and local communities of interest;
- Following natural and geographic boundaries, barriers, and features; and
- Maximizing the agreement of boundaries between different types of districts.
Commission members would be appointed by the governor and state legislative leaders. People who’d been lobbyists, candidates for or holders of political or elected office, or who received compensation from political parties or PACs in the four years before the appointment would be ineligible to serve on the commission.
Currently, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries in Utah are drawn by the state legislature and subject to the governor’s veto.
In Favor
Gerrymandering has resulted in unfair, less competitive districts that don’t properly reflect constituents’ views. Having an independent commission draw voting district lines will depoliticize the process, and help create a more non-partisan, equal redistricting process regardless of who controls the state legislature.
Opposed
Redistricting is a fundamental duty of state legislators. Taking this responsibility away from the legislature, and giving it to unelected officials, makes the process unaccountable to voters. It’s also possible that this is a ploy to help Democrats create a safe seat for themselves in Salt Lake County.
In-Depth
Better Boundaries is leading the campaign in support of Proposition 4 with the support of AARP Utah, the American Association of University Women (SLC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and more. Better Boundaries says in support of Proposition 4:
“Utah’s current redistricting process requires reform because it allows incumbent politicians to manipulate the redistricting process by selecting the people who vote for them, without appropriate checks. This has resulted in less competitive races and politicians who prioritize their own interests over the needs of their constituents. The Better Boundaries campaign aims to create a more responsive, transparent and accountable redistricting process. The purpose of redistricting should be to redraw political boundaries to better align with population shifts (i.e., to ensure the “one person, one vote” principle).”
Jeff Wright, a co-chair of the Better Boundaries Coalition and former Utah Department of Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner, adds that redistricting is a bipartisan issue:
“This is a bipartisan issue because, while the last redistricting and gerrymandering here in Utah benefited the party I support, in many other states it goes against the party I support. To avoid mutual assured destruction across the country, we need to have independent commissions.”
Utah Senate Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund (R-Monroe) opposes Proposition 4, which he argues aims to help Democrats create a safe Democratic congressional district in Salt Lake County and give unelected officials who aren’t beholden to voters control of drawing districts.
Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes (R-51) adds that legislators should remain in charge of drawing districts:
“Legislators are elected by the citizens of this state to perform specific duties detailed in the Utah Constitution and redistricting is a fundamental duty of the Legislature. [...] The purpose of this process is to have an open and a public discussion, gather input and come to a consensus based on information and research through a bipartisan committee that puts recommendations before the entire legislative body. An initiative to create an advisory committee does not override or bypass the Constitution simply because some may not like the outcome."
The legislative fiscal analyst estimates that implementing Proposition 4 would cost Utah $1,015,500 every 10 years for commission and other redistricting-related expenses. The state might also incur additional costs to defend lawsuits authorized by the proposition.
Proposition 4 made it on the Utah ballot after supporters submitted 150,082 valid signatures, exceeding the required 113,143 signatures.
Summary by Lorelei Yang
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / luismmolina)
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