Uintah County Republican Party Chairman Kason Goodrich visited the Evans Family Media studios to discuss Proposition 4 and why the state Republican Party is gathering signatures to place it back on the 2026 election ballot. So in answer to why the Republican Party wants to repeal Proposition 4, Goodrich says, “It actually contradicts another part of our State Constitution in Title 9 that gives specific authority to our state legislature to draw Congressional maps. In 2021, they went through this process to redraw the Congressional maps and the State Legislature made some minor changes to the law the way it was written so that it could actually be enforced…They still followed through on that process of using the redistricting commission, they recommended maps, those maps were subject to public comment, and they ultimately decided on a Congressional map. That map was challenged by Better Boundaries and other folks in court. In 2025, the judge ordered that the map the Legislature chose in 2021 did not meet the recommendations or the requirements of Proposition 4 and ordered them to go through the process again. So the Legislature did go through the process again in 2025 and they produced maps from this independent redistricting commission. Those maps were proposed. They were subject to public comment…Ultimately, the State Legislature made a decision on one of those maps, selected it, and when it went back to the judge, that judge ruled that it was gerrymandered and that she wasn’t going to accept that map… The judge has no authority to choose the map but what the judge did at that point was… very hypocritical,” says Goodrich. “She allowed the plaintiffs of the case to produce a map in court. That map did not go through the public process. It did not go through the independent redistricting commission. It did not go through the state Legislature. So even in her ruling she violated the Proposition that she claims she’s defending.” So why not take the matter to the Supreme Court? Goodrich explains, “The judge didn’t issue a final ruling on the entire case so we don’t have the ability to appeal the decision until she issues a full ruling and she is being intentional and slow about issuing that ruling so there is no time for the people of the state of Utah to have recompense of this situation.” Listen to the entire interview on the topic of Proposition 4 on basinnow.com by selecting Public Affairs under the Community tab.
