Search query: utah

Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219 to 212 edge over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies: three from Democratic members who have died and one from a Republican who has resigned. This is the smallest House majority held by either party in nearly a century. The razor-thin margin means the stakes in the 2026 midterms could not be higher. With so few competitive seats left nationwide, both parties are turning to mid-decade redistricting as a way to secure advantages.
27 Aug, 2025
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10 min read
Utah Judge Slaps Down Republican Attempt to Gerrymander the State
Utah Judge Slaps Down Republican Attempt to Gerrymander the State
Utah may be added to the list of states that will redraw their congressional maps in 2025. But unlike Texas and California, it is to correct a gerrymander by the Republican-controlled legislature, which has tried to sidestep the state’s independent redistricting commission.
26 Aug, 2025
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2 min read
California Lawmakers Push Back on Federal AI Regulation Ban Buried in 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'
California Lawmakers Push Back on Federal AI Regulation Ban Buried in 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'
Given the state’s role as home to many leading AI companies, a bipartisan coalition of California legislators is urging Congress to strike a little-noticed provision from the sweeping federal tax package that would block states and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for the next decade.
27 May, 2025
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6 min read
Joe Manchin Slams W.Va. Ranked Choice Ban, Says Some Politicians 'Don't Want to Compete; They Just Want Control'
Joe Manchin Slams W.Va. Ranked Choice Ban, Says Some Politicians 'Don't Want to Compete; They Just Want Control'
Former US Senator Joe Manchin publicly condemned recent moves by West Virginia lawmakers to ban ranked choice voting and potentially restrict independent voters from participating in primary elections, calling the developments "political gamesmanship."
12 May, 2025
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3 min read
New Report: We Already Know Who Will Win 81% of US House Races in 2026
New Report: We Already Know Who Will Win 81% of US House Races in 2026
New analysis from the nonpartisan better elections group FairVote reveals a grim picture of American democracy: Congressional elections are becoming even less competitive and easier to predict -- with the vast majority of House seats effectively decided long before voters cast their ballots.
28 Apr, 2025
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2 min read
Salt Lake City Keeps Ranked Choice Voting Alive for 2025
Salt Lake City Keeps Ranked Choice Voting Alive for 2025
Salt Lake City will continue using ranked choice voting (RCV) in its municipal elections, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting just one. The City Council reaffirmed their commitment to the system, following positive feedback from the 2023 elections. ​
11 Apr, 2025
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1 min read
Report Finds Ranked Choice Voting Is Working in Utah and Voters Like It
Report Finds Ranked Choice Voting Is Working in Utah and Voters Like It
In late 2024, the Herbert Institute at Utah Valley University released two reports on Utah’s ranked choice voting (RCV) pilot program. In the reports, Professors Alan Parry and John Kidd and co-authors Michael Erickson and Addison Stott capture the high level of support for RCV among Utah voters, as well as the strong foundation that RCV has in mathematics. 
30 Jan, 2025
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3 min read
Utah Senate Majority Leader Introduces Resolution to Protect State Sovereignty, Combat Foreign Influence in Elections
Utah Senate Majority Leader Introduces Resolution to Protect State Sovereignty, Combat Foreign Influence in Elections
Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore last week introduced a resolution in support of a constitutional amendment designed to restore states' authority to regulate campaign finance laws. The announcement came just days before the anniversary of the infamous Citizens United Supreme Court ruling.
20 Jan, 2025
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2 min read
The Worst Partisan Gerrymanders of the 2020s
The Worst Partisan Gerrymanders of the 2020s
With two post-census election cycles in the books, congressional district maps are mostly set for the remainder of the decade – which means we will know the outcomes of the vast majority of House elections before voters even cast ballots in November 2026, 2028 and 2030.
13 Dec, 2024
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9 min read
Utah Lawmakers Push Constitutional Amendment to Rewrite, Erase Citizen Ballot Measures
Utah Lawmakers Push Constitutional Amendment to Rewrite, Erase Citizen Ballot Measures
Many voters heard about Robert F Kennedy suspending his 2024 presidential campaign. Many voters heard about the drama over "hot mics" in presidential debates.
28 Aug, 2024
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3 min read