⏰ Tick Tock

Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 11
Days to the start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026) - 88
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 375
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,110

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💬 Utah politics was unhinged this week: Let's discuss.

Need a break from doomscrolling?

Join us Friday evening at 6:30 pm for a livestream breakdown of the week's wildest political stories–and trust me, it's been a week.

Bring your questions, your outrage, or just your curiosity.

Here's where you can join the conversation:

📰 Above the fold

The Utah Republican Party is attempting to repeal the state's voter-approved anti-gerrymandering law, and Saturday might be your only chance to weigh in.

Seven public hearings—the minimum required by law—are scheduled across the state. After that, the proposal could go straight to lawmakers, who could vote to overturn Proposition 4 without further public input. No committee hearings. No debate. Just an up-or-down vote on whether to erase a reform that voters approved in 2018.

The party announced the effort earlier this month as part of a two-pronged attack: block the congressional map lawmakers just approved in special session, and kill the anti-gerrymandering law entirely.

Here's how they're doing it: The referendum targeting the new congressional map (Option C) requires roughly 134,000 signatures statewide by Nov. 15, plus specific signature thresholds in 15 of 29 state Senate districts. Success means the map gets frozen until voters decide in 2026.

The Prop. 4 repeal uses a different mechanism—the indirect initiative process—which requires fewer signatures (about 70,000) but demands broader geographic support: 4% of active voters in 26 of 29 Senate districts. Hit those numbers and the Legislature must vote on it. No amendments allowed. Just yes or no on repealing the law.

Which brings us to Saturday. State law requires initiative sponsors to hold at least seven public hearings across Utah. The hearings must last at least one hour, with time for public comment.

The initiative’s sponsors scheduled all seven hearings for Saturday, with meetings running simultaneously in Logan, Vernal, Washington, Richfield, Price, Lehi and Farmington (which is the closest to Salt Lake City).

This is likely the public’s only shot at weighing in on the proposed repeal of Prop. 4.

In 1999, when an indirect initiative to establish English as the official language of Utah’s state government reached the Legislature, it went straight to the House floor and skipped committee review.

Expect the same here. If the GOP collects enough signatures, lawmakers-who have already voted to repeal Prop. 4 once-will likely fast-track the repeal straight to a floor vote, bypassing the committee process where citizens and experts can weigh in.

Experts argue using the indirect initiative process to repeal a voter-approved initiative might be unconstitutional. The plaintiffs already suing over Utah’s 2021 congressional map have filed suit to block the repeal effort.

Friday morning's headlines

Utah and the West

  • Judge hears arguments over Legislature's new congressional map ahead of November deadline. [KSL]
  • Podcast: Expand or extinct: Democrats' 2030 redistricting crisis. [Utah Political Watch]
  • "We have to fundamentally change the way we budget," Sen. John Curtis says. [KUTV]
  • Who do Utahns blame for the shutdown–Republicans or Democrats? [Deseret News]
  • Lawmakers want to lower Utah gas prices next year–here's their proposal. [Utah News Dispatch]
  • Utah Food Bank says filling food assistance gap will take "all of us coming together." [Utah News Dispatch]
  • Weber School District experiences increased demand in food pantry needs. [KUTV]
  • Ban cameras in the courtroom for Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, attorneys argue. [Salt Lake Tribune]

Nation

  • Firestorm over food stamps erupts with funds set to expire. [Bloomberg]
  • President Donald Trump says tech bosses persuaded him not to deploy federal forces to San Francisco. [Financial Times]
  • Trump says private donor gave $130 million to cover military pay during shutdown. [Reuters]
  • ICE is mounting a mass surveillance campaign on American citizens. [Reason]

World

Economy

  • Inflation increases to 3 percent, groceries and gasoline prices heading higher. [PBS News]
  • Companies have shielded buyers from tariffs. But not for long. [New York Times]

Environment

  • Global use of coal hits record high in 2024. [Semafor]