Except in states with binding independent redistricting commissions, voters are left with districts that are less competitive and more gerrymandered and cities and counties that are split. “And, to many involved in efforts to replace gerrymanders with competitive districts, the vanishing number of truly contested House races indicated that whoever won, the voters lost.”

On June 1, League of Women Voters Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and the seven individual plaintiffs in Utah’s gerrymandering lawsuit filed a response to the legislature’s motion to dismiss. Gerrymandering is an undemocratic practice that rigs the game so the powerful can lock in power for another decade, putting their own interests ahead of the people’s. Read the Salt Lake Tribune’s article to learn more.

SALT LAKE CITY – Better Boundaries Executive Director Katie Wright issued the following statement in support of plaintiffs in the lawsuit, League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature:

Utah is now infamous for our gerrymandering. This informative report demonstrates just how extreme Utah’s congressional map is: “The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center estimates this new map is more skewed than 99% of the enacted redistricting plans it has analyzed over the past 50 years.” Utahns deserve better. Read more: https://issueone.org/articles/extreme-gerrymanders/

Better Boundaries released a report card assigning state lawmakers with a letter grade on the issue of gerrymandering. The grades are a response to how lawmakers voted during last year’s special redistricting session.

In the previous installment of the blog series “Gerrymandering 101,” we discussed how gerrymandering makes it easier for a politician and members of their own party to win elections and hurts both voters and our democracy. But while the harms of gerrymandering cannot be ignored, it is possible combat gerrymandering and ensure that voters can…

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s that time of year, when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill from their winter break and begin the process of passing a multi-billion dollar budget and hundreds of bills. This year, they’ll deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, water conservation, Utah’s exploding growth and explore tax cuts. In the aftermath of…

“It provides accountability to the redistricting process.” “We need representation that understands the diversity of this area.” “As a voter in a rural area I’m entirely uncomfortable with my vote being used to dilute the power of another.” These are just some of the hundreds of emails obtained by the Deseret News and KSL Investigates…

Interested in a redistricting primer? Check out this interactive feature from the NYTimes: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/07/us/politics/redistricting-maps-explained.html?referringSource=articleShare