Voter Summit: Facts & Findings

I was able to attend ACLU’s Voter Summit down in SLC to learn more about what Utah voters are asking for, what they’re worried about, and how to build bridges across different ideas.

We’ll start with the elephant in the room: The recent legislative power grab. I was both comforted and concerned by what I learned about this. At the capitol, it doesn’t seem that most legislators know they’ve overstepped their authority in this redistricting kerfuffle. That is comforting because we have people who are genuinely trying to fight for what they believe is right. It’s concerning because they seem unaware of the limits placed on their power. Knowingly or not, they are now trying to entice Utah voters to vote against their own interests and weaken both the Judicial branch and the voice of The People, each a co-equal branch in Utah government. Consolidation of powers is not the American way and it’s certainly not the Utah way. We need voices at the capitol that can help steer the conversation back to the basics of the constitution and the people we serve.

Last year, 60 bills related to voting and elections were passed - more than has gone through in the last decade. This legislative session we are seeing even more come through. These are not changes that are “long overdue,” these are kneejerk reactions to a hot political climate. The changes that are long overdue are policy that addresses the rusted machine that is state and local politics to get housing sorted. Utah is growing, it has been growing. We simply cannot be surprised that no real change in housing policy has resulted in a housing crisis.

I’m disappointed to see so many reactionary bills come through our legislature. It feels like they’ve lost the plot in a sea of angry voices and fear mongering. Utah elections aren’t in any more danger this year than they were ten years ago, but there are plenty that will try to convince you they are as they try to change what has always worked. I want us to bring the focus back to what ISN’T working and what HASN’T worked for quite some time. THAT is where we need focus because THAT is what is hurting Utah’s economy, Utah’s families, and Utah’s land.