2018 Utah Proposition 4

Proposition 4

Utah Independent Redistricting Commission and Standards Act
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 512,218 50.34% No 505,274 49.66% Total votes 1,017,492 100.00%
Yes   50–60%   60–70% No   50–60%   60–70%

Utah Proposition 4 was a ballot measure narrowly approved as part of the 2018 Utah elections. The proposition created by statute an independent redistricting commission in the state, a measure to avoid gerrymandering. ^[1]

Results

Proposal 2 ^[2]

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	512,218	50.34
No	505,274	49.66
Valid votes	1,017,492	93.95
Total votes	1,082,972	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	1,433,498	75.55

The proposal was approved narrowly, with 50.34% of the vote. The closeness of the result was hypothesized to be due to Republicans, the dominant party in Utah, voting against the proposition to maintain their total control over redistricting. ^[3]

Aftermath and litigation

In 2020, the Utah legislature passed Senate Bill 200 ^[4] which compromised positions between Better Boundaries Utah (the sponsor of the proposition) and the Utah legislature. ^{[5] [6]}

Senate Bill 200 was challenged in state court on the grounds that it had violated the voters' intent in voting for Proposition 4. On July 11, 2024, the Utah Supreme Court unanimously sided with the plaintiffs in League of Women Voters v. Utah State Legislature , ruling that the legislature had overstepped their constitutional authority in passing SB200. ^[7] The case was remanded to lower court to rule on the merits of the proposition, and a ruling in August 2025 restored the proposition in addition to ordering new maps to be drawn up by September 24. ^[8] The Legislature responded by passing legislation which would have created two Republican-leaning congressional districts within the vicinity of Salt Lake County but would have impaired the ability of state judges to rule on maps demarcated by the Legislature. Utah County District Judge Dianna Gibson subsequently dismissed the Legislature's map in favor of a map drawn by plaintiffs which would create one strongly-Democratic district centered around Salt Lake County. ^[9] The rejection was criticized by the Republican leaders of the Legislature, some of whom demanded impeachment of Gibson. ^[10]

References

1. Roche, Lisa Riley (20 November 2018). "Utah proposition to battle gerrymandering passes as final votes tallied". Deseret News . Retrieved 19 April 2021.
2. "2018 General Election Canvass" (PDF). Lieutenant Governor of Utah. November 26, 2018. p. 54. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
3. Thulin, Justin (November 25, 2018). "Commentary: Why was the vote on Proposition 4 even close?". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
4. "SB0200". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
5. Means, Emily. "Lawmakers Announce Changes To Prop 4 Independent Redistricting Commission". www.kpcw.org. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
6. "Redistricting Data in Hand, Utah Has Short Timeline to Redraw Maps". KSLTV.com. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
7. "Gerrymandering case: Lawmakers can't ignore Utah voters, Utah Supreme Court rules". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
8. Schoenbaum, Hannah (August 25, 2025). "Judge rules Utah's congressional map must be redrawn for the 2026 elections". Associated Press . Retrieved August 25, 2025.
9. "Utah judge rejects GOP redistricting effort, approving new map with a Democratic seat". NBC News. 2025-11-11. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
10. McKellar, Katie (2025-11-11). "Utah judge faces impeachment threats after ordering congressional map with 1 Democratic seat • Utah News Dispatch". Utah News Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-11-14.