• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Thursday, March 30, 2023
SLC Online News
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home News Local News

Lawsuit Threatened, Lawmakers Targeted Over Redistricting – Fox13now.com

lawsuit-threatened,-lawmakers-targeted-over-redistricting-–-fox13now.com
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SALT LAKE CITY — The group that sponsored a citizen ballot initiative creating an independent redistricting commission is exploring litigation and forcing some lawmakers into a primary over the maps the legislature ultimately approved.

“There are two primary strategies Better Boundaries is following after the adopting of really egregious gerrymandered maps,” Katie Wright, the executive director of Better Boundaries, said in an interview Monday with FOX 13.

Better Boundaries said it has retained legal counsel to explore a petition to the Utah Supreme Court, challenging the maps the legislature adopted. But Wright cautioned it does not mean they ultimately will pursue a legal challenge.

“If those parties come back and say there’s a path, an achievable path, we will pursue it,” Wright said, later adding: “Anything we do must have a serious shot. We are not Pollyanna-ish and think there’s just an easy win here. That’s not the reality.”

Voters narrowly approved Proposition 4 in 2018, creating an independent redistricting commission to draw maps for Congress, the Utah State Legislature and Utah State School Board. The advisory panel spent the summer traveling the state, soliciting input for a series of maps that were presented to the Utah State Legislature’s redistricting committee.

Lawmakers ultimately chose to ignore the independent commission’s maps, arguing that the legislature has the constitutional authority to decide political boundaries. Despite protests and calls for lawmakers to adopt the independent commission’s maps, the legislature approved its own and Governor Spencer Cox signed them. The biggests outcry came over the congressional district map, which splits Salt Lake County among the four districts.

Republican legislative leaders have anticipated a lawsuit and have said they are confident the maps will withstand a legal challenge. At his most recent news conference on PBS, Gov. Cox defended the process even after a recent poll found Utahns were not supportive of the maps.

“That was always the danger that the legislature ran when this process was set up in the first place,” the governor told reporters earlier this month. “I suspect that we’ll see pushes to change that again for the next 10 years.”

In the month since that happened, Better Boundaries formed a political action committee and has raised $80,000 so far. The group said it would target some lawmakers in the next election cycle who ignored the independent commission’s maps. That would include Republicans and Democrats, Wright said. Better Boundaries is exploring forcing some of those legislators into primaries with candidates who are more supportive of the independent commission in the future.

“The congressional maps got a lot of attention because it is an extreme, egregious gerrymander. But we know the state House and state Senate maps were also gerrymandered. The impact of that were cities and towns were sliced and diced,” she said. “It’s really important that lawmakers are accountable to the public and that’s what the PAC is all about.”

Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Sign up for the Breaking News Newsletter and receive up to date information.

SLC Online News

© 2021 SLC Online News

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 SLC Online News

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT