Utah

Utah

A national, nonpartisan foundation chastised Utah’s lawmakers and governor Monday for enacting new laws they say further weaken the people’s constitutional right to petition their government. Over the weekend, Gov. Gary Herbert signed SB275, which makes it easier for people who have signed initiative and referendum petitions to remove their names. That law also gives opponents an extra month after the time for signature-gathering has expired to target the petition drive’s weakest area and take it down.

Groups advocating government reform are criticizing Gov. Gary Herbert for making it harder for citizens to create laws by making it easier to have their signatures removed from petitions. The big question now is: will they have enough signatures? A pair of citizens’ petitions — one on ethics, another on redistricting — need nearly 100,000 signatures, but in some districts they’re coming up short. The 2010 elections in Utah could be remembered as the Year of the Big Reform Showdown.

A bill making it easier for Utahns to remove their names from a statewide initiative or referendum petition has been signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert. The bill is largely intended to keep a citizens ethics initiative from ever reaching the ballot. Its critics said the proposal handicaps the initiative process. Utahns for Ethical Government needs to gather 95,000 valid voter signatures from 26 of 29 Senate districts to qualify the ethics initiative for the ballot.

Read the story from Local News 8

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Today, Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge, the only national transpartisan voter rights group dedicated to protecting and expanding the ballot initiative process, spoke at a press conference with Utahns for Ethical Government on the steps of the capitol rotunda in Salt Lake City, Utah and called on Governor Herbert to protect the initiative rights of Utah citizens by vetoing House Bill 112. This bill will have a chilling effect on the initiative process in Utah, and make it more difficult to get a measure placed on the ballot.

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Today, Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge, the only national transpartisan voter rights group dedicated to protecting and expanding the ballot initiative process, spoke at a press conference with Utahns for Ethical Government on the steps of the capitol rotunda in Salt Lake City, Utah and called on Governor Herbert to protect the initiative rights of Utah citizens by vetoing House Bill 112. This bill will have a chilling effect on the initiative process in Utah, and make it more difficult to get a measure placed on the ballot.

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge, the only national transpartisan voter rights groups dedicated to protecting and expanding the ballot initiative process, will be speaking at a press conference in the Utah Capitol Rotunda at noon today, March 29, to call on Governor Herbert to protect the initiative rights of Utah citizens by vetoing H

Citizens in Charge, a partner organization of Citizens in Charge Foundation, issued the following media advisory this afternoon:

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge, the only national transpartisan voter rights groups dedicated to protecting and expanding the ballot initiative process, will be speaking at a press conference in the Utah Capitol Rotunda at noon on Monday, March 29 to call on Governor Herbert to protect the initiative rights of Utah citizens by vetoing Senate Bill 275 and House Bill 112.

One initiative and referendum expert finds recent legislative action disturbing. “I am very troubled by it,” said Attorney Lisa Watts Baskin, referring to Sen. Howard Stephenson’s SB275 which passed both chambers in partisan fashion — most Republicans liked it, Democrats did not. Republicans outnumber Democrats more than two to one in Utah’s statehouse, so the measure passed with a two-thirds majority and can take effect as soon as Gov. Gary Herbert signs it — or on April 1 without his signature. A veto could drag the process out further.

ArchesUtah Senate Bill 275, sponsored by the apparently less-than-voter-friendly Sen. Howard Stephenson, has passed both houses and now sits on the Governor’s desk. The bill would give opponents of an initiative one month more to try to get voters to take their names off of a petition than initiative proponents have to get voters to put their names on. This not only gives opponents an unfair advantage in their campaigns, but opens up voters to harassment.

Supporters of a citizens ethics-reform initiative contacted Gov. Gary Herbert Thursday, urging him to veto a signature-removal bill that could be used to undermine their petition drive. Utahns for Ethical Government have until April 15 to get the necessary 95,000 valid voter signatures to get its measure on November’s ballot. Sen. Howard Stephenson’s SB275 eliminates the need for regretful signers to get notorized statements to remove their names from petitions. It also gives opponents of UEG’s initiative until May 15 to persuade people they signed in error.

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Citizens in Charge Foundation, a transpartisan national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Utah State Representative Neil Hansen (D-Ogden) with the March 2010 John Lilburne Award.  Rep. Hansen is being recognized for standing up for equality and fairness in the state’s initiative process and against pending legislation, SB 275, which would give opponents of an initiative an unfair advantage over the initiative’s supporters.

On the steps of the State Capitol, and underneath a threatening March sky, Utahns for Ethical Government announced its last big push —- a “march to the ballot.” The grassroots group now has less than six weeks to finish gathering the 95,000 signatures needed to place a broad ethics reform initiative on November’s ballot. Strategy includes a revamped Web site, a television ad and Saturday gatherings scheduled at local libraries from noon to 3 p.m. More information can be found online at www.utahethics.org.

Following testimony by a string of conservative activists, a House committee approved a bill Friday that revises the way residents may remove their signatures from an initiative petition. Representatives from Utah Eagle Forum and the Sutherland Institute were among those to speak in favor of the controversial measure. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said SB275 would give Utahns an easier way to remove their signatures after signing a petition.

Citizens initiatives would be much easier to keep off the ballot under a measure the Utah Senate gave its initial approval to Tuesday. Senators voted 22-7 to make it easier for Utahns who change their minds to remove their names from petitions in support of a statewide initiative or referendum.

Read the story from ABC 4

Legislators, many of whom oppose two citizen initiatives now out for voter signatures, will look at making it easier for petition-signers to get their names removed from the documents, thus decreasing the odds that Utahns can vote on the measures this November. And the Utah Republican Party, which also opposes the initiatives, will consider organizing a formal effort to get names off the Fair Boundaries and Utahns for Ethical Government petitions, said GOP state chairman Dave Hansen.