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By Andrew Stanton
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Republicans were dealt a new redistricting blow in Utah on Thursday.
A GOP-led effort to repeal a voter-backed law requiring an independent redistricting committee failed to make the ballot in the November 2026 midterm elections, according to a report from Deseret News.
Elizabeth Rasmussen, executive director of Better Boundaries, responded to the report in a statement, writing, “With reports suggesting the Prop 4 repeal may not qualify for the ballot, we will continue to help Utah voters who felt they were misled about what they signed to remove their signatures.”
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Newsweek reached out to the Utah GOP for comment via its press contact form.
Why It Matters
As mid-decade redistricting shapes the contours of the 2026 midterms, Utah is among the states with new maps for this year after a court struck down the state’s current congressional map as a Republican gerrymander. Republicans have sought to place a ballot measure to repeal Proposition 4, the anti-gerrymandering law Utah voters passed in 2018, on the November ballot.
Such a measure would have changed the way Utah’s Congressional maps could be drawn in the next redistricting cycle.
What To Know
The repeal effort will not appear on the November ballot, Deseret News reported.
Utah law required collecting 8 percent of voter signatures statewide and in 26 of the 29 state Senate districts. Signature challenges in Utah’s Senate District 15 were successful, with the number of signatures falling 260 below the threshold on Thursday, according to the report.
Utahns for Representative Government, the group behind the repeal effort, presented 225,000 voter signatures on February 15 in 26 districts. But anti-gerrymandering group Better Boundaries launched a campaign urging voters to remove their name, according to the report.
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In the statement, Rasmussen of Better Boundaries noted that individuals have 45 days to review and remove their signatures.
Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson told Salt Lake City news station KTVX that the party has “significant concerns” about the practices used by the opposition.
“Given today’s update, we want to thank the hundreds of thousands of Utahns who signed our initiative. Utahns spoke loudly in the face of an unprecedented onslaught of biased media coverage, outside influence, and judicial interference. Whether now or in the future, by litigation or initiative, we will Repeal Prop 4. This fight is not over but just beginning,” he told the outlet.
The development marks a defeat for Republicans in a solidly conservative state. Utah backed Trump by more than 20 points in 2024.
Utah’s current map, ruled a gerrymander, splits the Democratic-leaning Salt Lake City area into four different districts, all of which have a significant Republican advantage. A new map that will go into effect after the midterms will keep Salt Lake City and its closest suburbs in one district that would have backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 20 points in 2024.
Forecasters like the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball consider the new UT-1 as being safe for Democrats, while Republicans are favored in the state’s other three districts.
What Is Redistricting?
States redraw their congressional maps each decade based on the new census data. Districts change from decade to decade due to migration and population shifts. States that gain population often gain a new seat, while those with slow or negative growth may lose seats.
Typically, this only occurs once per decade, barring any legal challenges to a map. But numerous states have sought to redraw their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 election.
The redistricting arms race kicked off in Texas, where Republicans sought to create more districts favoring their party. California retaliated, with several Republican-leaning seats being redrawn to favor Democrats.
Republicans in Missouri and North Carolina also redrew their maps to create more districts favoring Republicans. Virginia voters will decide on an upcoming ballot measure to redraw several GOP-held districts to become more favorable to Democrats.
What Is Proposition 4?
Utah’s Proposition 4, passed by voters in 2018, sought to curb partisan gerrymandering by establishing the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission, intended to draw maps without partisan considerations.
What People Are Saying
Rasmussen said in the statement: “A well-informed voting population leads to better outcomes for everyone. A majority of Utah voters approved Prop 4 in 2018 and we look forward to the day when Utah voters can finally pick their politicians, not the other way around.”
Vice President JD Vance shared support for repealing Proposition 4 in a February 14 post on X: “We’re in the final stretch to put the repeal of Prop 4 on the ballot in Utah! I hope more Utahns will join President Trump and Senator Mike Lee in this very important effort to KEEP UTAH RED.”
Journalist Scott MacFarlane wrote on X: “Tough loss for Trump and GOP.”
What Happens Next
Axson noted that the fight is “not over” in his statement. Voters in Utah will not decide on the ballot measure this November, but efforts to repeal or weaken Proposition 4 could continue.
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