The campaign to repeal Proposition 4, Utah’s 2018 anti-gerrymandering law, keeps backsliding. After dropping below the qualification threshold last week, new numbers Thursday show another hit: Senate District 12 slipped four signatures under the mark, pushing the repeal effort down to just 24 of the 26 state Senate districts it needs to qualify.
Utahns for Representative Government, the GOP-led group behind the repeal push, initially submitted enough signatures to make the ballot. Opponents then persuaded enough voters to remove their names in Senate District 15, knocking the effort to 25 districts—one short of the 26 required.
And the removals keep coming.
Updated numbers released Thursday show a wave of removals hitting Senate District 12, which covers parts of West Valley City and Taylorsville. SD 12 is now four signatures below the threshold, meaning the campaign has met the requirement in only 24 of the 26 state Senate districts it needs.
SD 12 is the fifth Democratic-held Senate district to fall short. The only remaining Democratic district above the bar is SD 10, represented by Sen. Luz Escamilla, with a cushion of 581 signatures.
Better Boundaries, the main group behind the signature-removal campaign, said it will keep going.
“We are going to continue to work and make sure that anyone across the state who was tricked or misled into signing the repeal of Proposition 4 has the opportunity to remove their signature,” Executive Director Elizabeth Rasmussen said. “Utahns of all political stripes deserve to pick their politicians, not have politicians that pick their voters. Our mission of protecting Proposition 4 and the will of the people is exactly the same as it was in 2018 when Proposition 4 was passed by voters. As long as those in power keep demanding special treatment, we will be on the side of everyday Utahns.”
If the removals continue, SD 8, held by Republican Sen. Todd Weiler, could be the next to wobble. For now, it has a surplus of 255 signatures.
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