The invisible boundaries that group Utahns into electoral districts are being redrawn this year, and lawmakers plan to have new maps on the governor’s desk by Thanksgiving.
Legislative leaders announced their anticipated timeline for the redistricting process last week, setting a tight fall turnaround kicking off in August, when they expect to receive new U.S. Census Bureau data, and ending in December, when Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will have the option to approve or veto their work.
“During regular circumstances, redistricting can be a long and arduous process,” Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield—co-chair of the Legislative Redistricting Committee—said in a prepared statement. “Due to the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing an even shorter timeline, essentially completing nine months of work in six weeks.
Utah is required to redraw its voting maps every 10 years, in conjunction with updated population data from the national census. During the last round of redistricting in 2011, lawmakers held a series of town halls during the summer and fall months to solicit feedback from the public, as well as offering residents the opportunity to draw and submit their own maps for consideration.
Residents will again be invited to design candidate maps—via an online redistricting software scheduled to launch “by early September”—with public hearings to be held in September and October.
“Because of this accelerated timeline, the public’s involvement and input will be crucial to our success,” Ray said. “I look forward to visiting communities and meeting with Utahns as we move into the next phases of our redistricting process.”
The Legislature’s redistricting committee is separate from an independent commission created under 2018’s Proposition 4, which has begun meeting but has largely been limited to discussing generalized goals and testing the public mapping software in the absence of updated demographic data.
Proponents of the independent redistricting commission argue that it provides a buffer from gerrymandering—the intentional grouping of voters to achieve a partisan outcome—but it is ultimately the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature that has the final say on new maps.
Jeff Merchant, chairman of the Utah Democratic Party, said he is optimistic the independent commission will create fair maps for the next 10 years of Utah elections. But he also expressed fear that the independently-created voting districts could be dismantled and rejected by lawmakers in favor of maps that benefit the Republican party.
"Utah Democrats and our coalition of pro-democracy voters and organizations will use every tool at our disposal to stop bad maps that damage the fabric of our democracy and hurt chances at fair competition, regardless of party or ideology, across our state," he said.
The timeline released by the Legislative Redistricting Committee states that recommendations from the independent commission—as well as maps submitted by the public—will be considered in November ahead of a vote on final maps “before Thanksgiving.”
The committee’s procedural rules prohibit lawmakers from using partisan data in their map-drawing process. But since 2000, the Legislature has opted to divide the liberal-leaning Salt Lake City and County among the state’s congressional districts, diluting the urban vote and securing outsize majorities for the dominant Utah Republican Party.
Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton—Ray’s co-chair on the redistricting committee—said lawmakers are accountable to Utahns and committed to upholding the role of the public in creating new voting maps.
“Public input is essential for redistricting,” Sandall said. “As individuals voted into office, we have a vested interest in the feedback and views of our constituents. We want to understand your perspectives and amplify your voice throughout this process.”
The Legislative Redistricting Committee consists of 20 members—15 Republicans and 5 Democrats—while the independent commission consists of seven members appointed by the Legislature’s majority and minority leadership and the commission’s chair appointed by the governor.
More information on the state’s redistricting process can be found at redistricting.utah.gov.
