The History of Better Boundaries

Our History

“Gerrymandering,” or the act of the drawing voting district maps in a way that unfairly advantages a single party, has been a problem in Utah for decades and has grown worse over time.  In spring of 2017, a nonpartisan coalition of community leaders, redistricting advocates, and grassroots citizens formed Utahns for Responsive Government, a 501c4 organization, and launched the Better Boundaries initiative.  Their purpose was to gather enough signatures to put a citizens initiative on the 2018 ballot that would create an Independent Redistricting Commission and voter-centered standards for drawing Utah’s voting maps.  The coalition was successful in gathering the signatures, and the resulting ballot initiative (Proposition Four) succeeded in passing into law.

With its objective achieved, the coalition and the Better Boundaries initiative might have disbanded at that point had it not been for the Utah Legislature then repealing Proposition Four and changing the role of the Independent Redistricting Commission to “advisory” and removing the requirement that the legislature follow voter-centered standards. In spite of its change in status, the Independent Redistricting Commission forged forward with its work, holding public meetings and receiving grassroots input to create unbiased voting maps that held communities together.  But at the end of this process, the Legislature discarded the Commission’s recommendations and hastily drew and approved their own gerrymandered maps.  In doing so, the Legislature made clear that it was more interested in its own political agenda than in representing the voice of their electorate.  Seeing this, Better Boundaries transitioned from being a short-term, single-issue initiative, to becoming a permanent citizen rights advocacy group.  A Better Boundaries PAC was founded to raise money for the support of elected officials who prioritize voter rights and upholding the constitution.  A board was formed, and a part-time staff was hired.  Most importantly, a vast group of citizen volunteers was attracted to the Better Boundaries purpose, and continues to expand and to be readily activated, as needed, to this day.

Better Boundaries’ success in ensuring fair government and citizens’ rights continues forward.  In 2024, two pathbreaking unanimous Utah Supreme Court rulings favored plaintiffs supported by Better Boundaries.  In July, the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the Legislature to repeal a ballot initiative that reforms the government.  And in September the Court ruled that the Legislature had used deceptive ballot language in attempting to pass an amendment giving them unchecked veto power over any/all ballot initiatives.