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‘Vote no’ rally at the Utah capitol launches opposition to ballot initiative amendment

Katie Wright, executive director of Better Boundaries, speaks at an Aug. 26, 2024, rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol opposing a constitutional amendment that would give lawmakers more power over ballot initiatives.
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Katie Wright, executive director of Better Boundaries, speaks at an Aug. 26, 2024, rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol opposing a constitutional amendment that would give lawmakers more power over ballot initiatives.

Fresh off of the Legislature’s decision to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to alter ballot initiatives approved by voters, advocacy groups are asking Utahns to vote against it.

Opponents have labeled it a “power grab” by politicians.

“Our constitutional rights are sacred, and we will not give them away to politicians who think they know better than us, the voters,” said Katie Wright, the executive director of Better Boundaries.

The amendment, which would give lawmakers the power to revise or repeal citizen-led ballot initiatives, was passed by the Legislature during an Aug. 21 special emergency session. It comes after the Utah Supreme Court ruled the Legislature overstepped its authority when it significantly changed a 2018 initiative greenlit by voters that created an independent redistricting commission to prevent partisan congressional maps.

Better Boundaries held a 'vote no' rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Aug. 26, 2024. The campaign is urging voters to reject a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow lawmakers more power over ballot initiative's.
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Better Boundaries held a 'vote no' rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Aug. 26, 2024. The campaign is urging voters to reject a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow lawmakers more power over ballot initiative's.

Better Boundaries, the organizer behind the redistricting ballot initiative, launched the “vote no” campaign on Aug. 26. They were joined at the state capitol by Mormon Women for Ethical Government, who sued the Legislature over the redistricting alterations, former Utah Supreme Court justice Christine Durham and lawmakers who voted against the special session resolution.

The groups were vague on specific plans, but they say they need a focused and well-funded statewide campaign since the timeline is tight.

For Ryan Bell, a Better Boundaries board member, the constitutional amendment put forth by the Republican supermajority is unpopular across the political spectrum. As a self-proclaimed conservative, he said it’s “difficult to imagine anything less conservative than a knee-jerk, slap-dash rewriting of the constitution in order to shift more power from the people to their representatives.”

“Our state constitution gives the people the right to enact laws directly through the initiative process, and it has become clear that when the people exercise this right, the Legislature gets defensive of what they view as their turf.”

During the special session, Republican lawmakers pushed back against the accusation of a power grab on the House and Senate floor. They have a different interpretation of the state constitution, arguing it grants them the power to change initiatives passed by the voters.

Ultimately, lawmakers are giving voters the final say on the matter.

Republican state Sen. Daniel Thatcher address the 'vote no' rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Aug. 26, 2024.
Sean Higgins
/
KUER
Republican state Sen. Daniel Thatcher address the 'vote no' rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Aug. 26, 2024.

Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher, one of the nine GOP votes against the resolution sending the amendment to the ballot, said he doesn’t believe the Utah Supreme Court decision means lawmakers can’t make tweaks to approved ballot initiatives. The ruling from the high court said lawmakers can amend an initiative “if the Legislature shows that they were narrowly tailored to advance a compelling government interest.”

“I don't believe that this [Supreme Court ruling] restrains the Legislature from doing its job or staying within the bounds, I don't,” Thatcher said. “I think it only requires justification for impairing or overturning the otherwise constitutional and lawful actions of the public.”

He sees the move made by his colleagues as a “moment of awful consequence to the state of Utah.” Thatcher said the question in front of voters is about the amount of power lawmakers possess.

“The question before us is: Is there a limit? Either there is a limit and it is this reasonable boundary, or there is no limit, and we surrender the final bulwark – forever.”

Disclosure: Katie Wright of Better Boundaries is a member of the KUER advisory board.

Saige is a politics reporter and co-host of KUER's State Street politics podcast
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