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Utah GOP Bid to Repeal Anti-Gerrymandering Law Fails After Signature Removals

The result shows how Utah’s district-by-district rules let targeted rescissions sink a statewide petition.

Overview

  • State records show the repeal drive fell short when new verifications dropped Senate District 15 below the 8% signature threshold required to qualify.
  • Organizers turned in about 225,000 signatures, roughly 170,000 were validated statewide, and the petition initially cleared exactly 26 of 29 districts with no cushion for later removals.
  • Better Boundaries led a removal push with letters, texts, and calls that prompted roughly 7,000 people to withdraw, including hundreds in District 15.
  • The effort fell off the ballot despite $4.35 million spent on paid gathering, help from Turning Point Action, and endorsements from President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
  • Utahns for Representative Government sued to block counting of removal letters as lawmakers passed HB242 to treat pre-paid postage as a banned incentive, and earlier court bids to undo Proposition 4 were rejected.