Senior Paul Florence protests gerrymandering
By Ethan Carboni
Gerrymandering has been a problem in the United States since 1789. More so in the state of Utah. Senior Paul Florence is among those who let their voice be heard at a November 6 protest at the Utah Capitol.
“I think that gerrymandering, as Ronald Reagan said, is a national disgrace,” Paul said. “A speaker at the protest, Evan McMullin, said that Utah’s gerrymandering was a modern day form of taxation without representation. I completely agree with that, and I think that the Founders would have disapproved of this tactic.”
Gerrymandering is when a political party that is in control of a state legislature, draws maps in which district lines favor that party. It is one of the easiest and main ways political parties in America try to gain an electoral advantage. In the 2018 midterm elections, Proposition 4, a measure aiming to address gerrymandering and create an independent commission that would oversee Utah’s redistricting, was introduced on the ballot. The measure won with a vote of 512,218 votes which was 50.34% of the total vote.
Since then, however, the measure has undergone numerous debates and changes.
Better Boundaries Utah is the organization that has been the main proponent of Prop 4. When Prop 4 was approved, Better Boundaries and the State Legislature began discussions on how the redistricting process could be incorporated. However, as the negotiations began to reach towards the end of 2021, the relationship between the two groups quickly began to deteriorate.
During a special session in the Utah Capitol on November 9, House Speaker Brad Wilson was visibly frustrated with the redistricting committee and went as far as to say that he regretted the 2020 compromise that kept the measure from being repealed. “I’m beginning to wonder if we should have let what they did, which was unconstitutional, just stay unconstitutional,” said the House Speaker. A few days after Speaker Wilson’s statement, the legislature announced that it had approved a new congressional map, rejecting every single proposal from the redristricing committee. This was a paramount decision made by the legislature.
It sparked major frustration among many Utah residents, and also resulted in the protest at the Utah Capitol that Paul attended, wielding a sign that said “Cox is a coward.”
“The legislature basically took the teeth out of that Proposition only making this commission advisory to the legislature. That really took away from the change that Utahns wanted to see in our state,” Paul said.
Paul talked about how voters should pick their representatives not the other way around. He was adamant about the necessity to make fair non partisan maps and furthermore that it was a disgrace that none of the independent redistricting maps were chosen.
Paul isn’t the only one disappointed. A statement issued by Katie Wright the head of the independent redistricting committee for Utah read: “the total disregard of the Independent Redistricting Commission’s maps is deeply disappointing to Better Boundaries and Utahns statewide.” Katie’s sentiments are shared with many Utahns around the state. Whatever people’s feelings are at this point, the boundaries have now been set for the next 10 years, so nothing can be changed until those 10 years are up.
Until then Better Boundaries and people like Paul Florence will continue to fight for more just and equitable boundaries.
Update: On March 17, 2022 the League of Women Voters, the Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and individual citizens filed a lawsuit to block Utah from implementing the congressional redistricting map adopted by the Utah Legislature.
