Utah voters have swung sharply against Amendment B, a proposed constitutional change that would require 60% approval for citizen ballot initiatives that raise taxes, a new poll shows.
Noble Predictive Insights found that 56% of likely voters plan to vote no, 34% plan to vote yes and 10% are unsure. In September, the same pollster had 50% of Utahns saying yes and 21% saying no. Opposition has jumped 35 points since then, while support has dropped 16 points.
Amendment B would apply to statewide citizen initiatives that raise taxes or create a new tax to pay for the proposal. Those measures would need a supermajority instead of a simple majority. Tax bills passed by the Legislature and local citizen initiatives would not face the 60% threshold.
Opposition cuts across party lines. The poll found 82% of Democrats and 58% of independents against the amendment. Among Republicans, 48% oppose it, the largest share of any response in that group.
“Amendment B has a coalition problem,” pollster Mike Noble said. “Democrats and Independents oppose it, and even Republicans are more likely to vote no than yes. It’s hard to build a winning coalition when you’re trailing in every party.”
Utahns Protecting Our Constitution, a political issues committee formed to oppose the amendment, has spent more than $3.1 million this year.
The survey also measured President Donald Trump’s standing in Utah. It found 45% of Utahns approve of his job performance and 53% disapprove, a net negative of 8 points, virtually unchanged from September.
Republicans remain largely supportive, with 66% approving of Trump and 34% disapproving. Nearly all Democrats (99%) disapprove, as do 72% of independents.
“Utah gives Trump a favorable electorate, but not a free pass,” Noble said. “Independents are heavily against him, and a third of Republicans disapprove. And as we see here, that is enough to leave a Republican president underwater in a Republican state.”
The poll was conducted from October 26 to 27 among 527 likely Utah voters with a margin of error +/-4.27%.
