- The initiative to repeal Proposition 4 cleared the statewide signature threshold Thursday, moving closer to ballot access.
- Organizers still need to meet thresholds in several state Senate districts.
- Opponents are still encouraging voters to remove their names from the petition.
SALT LAKE CITY — Organizers for the effort to repeal Utah's anti-gerrymandering law have cleared the statewide signature threshold, moving closer to putting the question on the November ballot.
The lieutenant governor's office reported that close to 150,000 signatures in support of the Proposition 4 repeal have been verified as of Thursday, more than the 140,748 needed. Organizers still need to hit similar thresholds in a handful of state Senate districts, but have more than 90% of the verified signatures in several, according to an unofficial tally by Morgan and May Public Affairs.
Utahns for Representative Government said it turned in more than 200,000 signatures ahead of the deadline earlier this month.
"Utah, we are officially one step closer to TOTAL REPEAL OF PROP 4," Utahns for Representative Government, the Republican-led group behind the repeal effort, said in a social media post Thursday. "We have six more Senate districts to go, with plenty of packets left to count. This would not have happened without amazing volunteers across the state."
County clerks have until March 8 to continue validating signatures, and voters have 45 days from the date their name is published on the state website to request to have their name removed. If the signatures are sufficient for ballot access, the lieutenant governor will make a determination on April 30.
Even if the measure qualifies for the ballot, it would be up to voters to decide whether to repeal the redistricting law.
Better Boundaries, the group behind Proposition 4 in 2018, is already running a campaign to convince voters to remove their signatures from petitions, citing misleading claims made by some gatherers.
"We're still waiting to see whether they meet the Senate district distribution requirement," Elizabeth Rasmussen, the group's executive director, told KSL. "In the meantime, we'll continue helping Utahns understand their right to remove their signature if they were misled or simply changed their mind."
In a statement to KSL, the head of Utahns for Representative Government criticized those who are trying to stop the repeal effort from qualifying.
"It is clear that Utahns want to make the final decision on this policy," said Rob Axson, who is also the chairman of the Utah Republican Party. "Shame on those who are trying to prevent people from being able to vote."
Utahns for Representative Government sued to block election officers from counting a significant share of signature removal requests. The group alleged that Better Boundaries violated state law by paying return postage on form letters sent to voters to help them remove their names. State law prohibits paying an individual "to remove the individual's signature from an initiative petition."
Rasmussen called the suit "a desperate and shameful effort to prevent Utahns, including those who may be victims of fraud, from exercising their rights."
Getting the repeal of Proposition 4 on the ballot would be the latest step in a yearslong battle over Utah's congressional maps, dating back to the narrow passage of Proposition 4 by voters in 2018. That initiative created an independent commission to recommend new political boundaries to lawmakers every 10 years while setting standards to avoid gerrymandering by not favoring one political party over another.
After the GOP-controlled Legislature weakened the commission and chose maps of its own, voter groups sued, leading 3rd District Judge Dianne Gibson to throw out Utah's congressional map. Utah lawmakers drew another one, but the judge rejected it, saying it unfairly favored Republicans. In November, Gibson then adopted a new map — which was submitted by plaintiffs — which created a Democratic-leaning district in Salt Lake County.
The effort to repeal Proposition 4 through initiative has already raised tensions, as some signature gatherers have reported being assaulted and harassed, and some voters have complained about misleading messages given by signature gatherers.
Even if the repeal effort qualifies and is approved by voters, it will be too late to stop the new map in time for the 2026 midterm elections. State lawmakers and members of Utah's congressional delegation have asked the state and federal courts to block that map from taking effect, but both courts have declined, likely closing the door on reverting to a different map before this year.
