- Utah lawmakers chose Map C for congressional districts despite community division concerns.
- Millcreek will be split into two districts, sparking mixed reactions from leaders.
- Pending court approval, the map must be finalized by Nov. 10 for elections.
MILLCREEK — Now that the Utah Legislature has selected its choice for a new congressional district map, and it has been submitted to 3rd District Court for review, communities in one Salt Lake County city could still see the municipality separated into multiple districts.
On Monday, Utah lawmakers voted during a special session to pick "Option C" out of a selection of six maps to revise the state's congressional boundary districts, in response to a court order.
Maps needed to be selected for 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson to review by Oct. 13.
Map C was favored by the Utah Republican Party, which said it felt it was the best chance to preserve Utah's representation.
Democrats argue the new map still puts them at a disadvantage by splitting communities.
In Millcreek, the 2021 map combines all four congressional districts, all within a few blocks of one another. Three of the districts meet at one intersection, 3900 South and 900 East.
The four-way split of Millcreek, a liberal-leaning city that borders Sugar House, is at the heart of the 2022 lawsuit that challenged the maps enacted the year prior. Several residents accused the Legislature of "cracking" Millcreek voters across four districts, where they would be heavily outnumbered by Republicans.
The new map would still split Millcreek, but into two separate congressional districts in different areas along 3300 South and I-215.
The result has drawn varying reactions from city leaders and lawmakers who represent Millcreek.
Mayor Jeff Silvestrini said he understands many of his constituents may not be happy with Monday's outcome, but he sees benefits in having more representatives in Congress.
"As a mayor, I've always thought it was an opportunity to be represented by four Congress people, and it opens more doors to the city to approach our delegation for direct funding requests and things like that," he told KSL.com Tuesday. "So now we're in two districts, and I know some people won't be happy about that; but as a mayor, it doesn't bother me."
State senators representing portions of Millcreek, who spoke with KSL.com following Monday's decision, said they don't feel the new map is much of an improvement from the current one, as it still divides communities.
"I mean, it's hard to consider (it) a step in the right direction, because you're still splitting in a city, and the directive of the court specifically states that you keep cities and communities of interest together," said Sen. Stephanie Pitcher, D-Salt Lake City.
Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City, said that while Map C would only split Millcreek into two congressional districts, the boundary lines may cause confusion among voters.
"In some ways, it almost makes it worse," he said. "In the current map, I mean, it's like the boundaries are clear, like there's straight lines; in the one that we just passed through the Legislature today — yeah, it only splits Millcreek twice, but there's these very jagged, weird cuts that go into neighborhoods, and I think, make(s) almost more confusion for people as they're trying to figure out where they sit in the district."
He acknowledged that some areas may be too large to just be one district, but he believes there are ways in which some communities should be kept together as one.
"Obviously, Salt Lake County is too big to be its own district, but there are pretty clear ways of doing it that keep more similar communities together. And I don't think we've seen that here," he said.
In August, Gibson ordered lawmakers to redraw the maps because they didn't align with portions of Proposition 4, an initiative that aims to ban partisan gerrymandering.
Lawmakers had a short time span to redraw the maps in time for them to be approved for next year's midterm elections.
While the new map was largely backed by Republicans, some opposed it on Monday, citing the rushed process.
Democrats also balked at the new map because they don't feel it meets the standards set by the court and divides cities.
Aside from Millcreek, Map C also splits the cities of North Salt Lake and Pleasant Grove.
"It's hard to consider it better; it's just difficult all around," Pitcher said. "Whether it's four or two, you're splitting a community, and it's Millcreek, both times, that has taken the brunt of this."
Pending Gibson's approval, the new map would need to be in place by Nov. 10.
Silvestrini said the city is committed to ensuring residents are informed about who represents them at the state and local levels.
"We always try to make our residents aware of who their representatives are at the city, you know, county, state and federal level," he said. "So we will definitely attempt to do that to the best of our ability, in our newsletters and things like that, once (things are) settled."
