THE UTAH AMICUS

HB 436
Are we setting a precedent for mid-decade redistricting?

HB436 Legislative District Changes to Accommodate County Boundary Change by Rep. Greg Hughes may appear to be a technical amendment to align the boundaries of legislative districts with new county lines; but, is there something more at stake?

Utah already went through one of the most partisan gerrymanders in the country -- noted by the not-so-liberal Wall Street Journal editorial board. If Democrats pick up seats in future elections, will the GOP try to take it away from them the next cycle through redistricting?

Certainly, one of the arguments would have been that Utah did not have aprecedent for mid-decade redistricting. Well, if HB436 passes that argumentwill be out the window. Since this didn't go through the normal redistricting processes, does it follow the traditional standards? One person - one vote, utilize the most recent census data, districts that are contiguous and compact, do not retrogress the position of racial minorities, preserve communities of interest, respect political subdivisions, respect geographical boundaries, preserve the core of existing districts, minimize voter disruption, and respect voters choices as expressed in previous elections.

In this specific instance for HB436, aligning the boundaries is a good thing. But the GOP purposefully did not follow other boundaries during redistricting where it provided them with a partisan edge in elections. So,why is this case special and worthy to be addressed? What are the real motives of those pushing it?

There are questions that need to be answered before it is too late.