United Utah Party Statement on Utah Supreme Court Decision
The United Utah Party celebrates today’s historic decision from the Utah Supreme Court in the case of League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature.
We believe today’s ruling is significant for two important reasons. First, it allows the continuation of the lawsuit that is at the forefront of fighting Utah’s gerrymandered voting districts. Second, it will protect future voter passed initiatives from being overruled by the legislature. Today’s decision means that Utah citizens have regained their voice in government.
The United Utah Party advocates for independent redistricting as an essential step towards ethical government that puts people over partisanship. We’re grateful for the hard work of Better Boundaries, MWEG, League of Women Voters, and all others who are working towards bringing fair elections to our state.
Though fighting gerrymandering is critical to securing fair elections, the decision today has further reaching implications for government reform advocates and will also serve to protect all future voter passed initiatives. According to the unanimous decision, “when Utahns exercise their right to reform the government through a citizen initiative, their exercise of these rights is protected from government infringement. This means that government-reform initiatives are constitutionally protected from unfettered legislative amendment, repeal, or replacement.”
The Republican supermajority in the Utah Legislature has a long history of rewriting, weakening, or outright ignoring the results of citizen initiatives that were approved by a statewide vote of Utah citizens, if those initiatives do not serve their political agenda. The successful 2018 citizen initiative that is at the heart of the redistricting lawsuit is just one example of our elected representatives disregarding the will of the people.
We are grateful to the Utah Supreme Court for reaffirming the right of Utah voters to have a say in our own government and we encourage reform-minded groups and voters to use this decision as an opportunity to come together to work towards positive change.
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