⏰ Tick Tock

Today - Special session on redistricting. (12/9/2025)
24 days - First day candidates (except Congressional candidates) can file for the 2026 election. (1/2/2026)
42 days - Start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026)
90 days - First day congressional candidates can file to run for the 2026 election. (3/9/2026)
98 days - Neighborhood caucus night. (3/17/2026)
137 days - Utah Democratic Party's state nominating convention (4/25/2026)
196 days - Utah's 2026 primary election (6/23/2026)
329 days - 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
1,064 days - 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028)

📰 Above the fold

Utah legislators want to fast-track their appeal in the state's gerrymandering lawsuit. Two bills up for vote today would force all election and redistricting cases straight to the Utah Supreme Court on an expedited timeline.

SB2002, sponsored by Sen. Brady Brammer (R-Highland) would require any election or redistricting dispute to go directly to the Utah Supreme Court. It also makes any judicial decision immediately appealable—even if attorney‑fee motions are still pending.

This bill is a direct response to lawmakers complaints about the lengthy delays in the gerrymandering case. The legislature is still waiting for Third District Judge Dianna Gibson to issue her final ruling in the case, delaying their expected appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

If SB2002 clears both chambers with a two‑thirds vote and Gov. Spencer Cox signs it—which is likely—it would take effect immediately and let lawmakers start the appeal process.

SJR201, also sponsored by Brammer, would change how courts handle election and redistricting cases. The clock for appeals would start immediately when a judgment is entered, and courts must set briefing schedules and issue decisions “with sufficient promptness” to avoid impacting candidates, voters and election deadlines.

It also bars either party from seeking attorneys’ fees until all appeals are resolved.

Like SB2002, SJR201 goes into effect immediately if it passes with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate. As a resolution, it does not need the governor’s signature.

A third piece of legislation on today’s agenda makes a one-time only change to the rules in congressional races in Utah, moving the filing window and allows candidates to “hedge their bets” in case the congressional map changes.

SB2001 from Sen. Scott Sandall (R-Tremonton) would move the filing period for congressional candidates from the first week of January to March 9–13, 2026. Filing windows for all other races would remain the first week of January. Congressional candidates could start gathering signatures on the same timeline as other candidates. This is a one‑time change for 2026.

While gathering signatures for Congress, candidates could also collect signatures for another state or county office, as long as they withdraw from the other race before officially filing for Congress.

SB2001 also loosens signature‑gathering rules for congressional primaries in 2026. Instead of collecting only from voters inside a candidate’s district, campaigns could gather signatures from any eligible voter statewide who can vote in that party’s primary. Republicans could still collect only from registered Republicans; Democrats could collect from registered Democrats or unaffiliated voters.

SB2001 makes one other small, but permanent change, allowing candidates to submit signature packets weekly during the gathering period, rather than all at once.

Submitting packets as they go would let campaigns monitor validity rates and adjust tactics—and keep turning in signatures even after hitting the threshold.

This change is likely a response to the ongoing attempts by former gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman to overturn his GOP primary loss to Spencer Cox. Lyman has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Cox did not secure enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot.

Post-election audits have found some issues with signature validation procedures, but Lyman and his supporters have misrepresented those findings to claim Cox fell short. There is no evidence Cox missed the signature threshold.