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SALT LAKE CITY — Another twist in Utah's state flag saga has emerged less than a week after the state Legislature narrowly passed a bill that designates a new design.
A group of residents under the name Referendum to Save Utah's Flag filed paperwork Monday seeking a referendum on SB31, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's office confirmed Tuesday. If the group reaches enough confirmed signatures by mid-April, it would place the bill on the ballot this November.
Chad Saunders, one of the members of the group, posted photos on Facebook on Sunday showing members filing the paperwork so it could be delivered to the state immediately on Monday.
"Let's make this happen!" he wrote on the page.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has not yet signed the bill, which cleared the Utah Legislature on Thursday after a lengthy process that dragged out throughout the legislative session. The bill was altered a few times, ultimately including language that designates the current design as Utah's "historical" flag.
House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said last week that the change essentially allows people to choose which flag to fly.
"This does not remove the current flag," he said. "This actually makes the current flag, I believe, in a more revered position as calling it the historical flag."
But since it only passed the Utah Senate with a 19-9 vote and the Utah House of Representatives with a 40-35 vote, it isn't shielded from a public referendum. And there was plenty of heated debate over the bill during the two public hearings on the matter this year.
Supporters of the referendum must gather signatures from 134,298 registered voters in 40 days in order for it to qualify for a vote in November, according to state law. There's also a provision that requires enough signatures from 15 of Utah's 29 counties in order for the referendum to land on the ballot.
"Once the signatures have been collected, they are sent to the county clerk's office for verification. The sponsors submit the packets in the same county where the signatures were collected," a spokesperson with Henderson's office explained Tuesday. "Approval or denial is based entirely on the number of signatures the sponsors receive and that counties are able to verify."
The deadline is April 12, officials added.
Members of the Utah State Flag Task Force selected the design in November after a nearly yearlong competition that resulted in over 5,700 submitted flag designs. The Utah Legislature approved a slightly altered design that was introduced in January.
A referendum wouldn't impact the timeline of the bill taking effect unless voters reject it. The bill wouldn't go into effect until March 9, 2024, per state code.
