PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2021
Salt Lake City, UT – Tonight, in a surprise turnaround, the Utah Senate voted 18-11 to advance SB205 from Senator Dan McCay. The bill would allow the Utah Republican Party to require candidates to be nominated through the convention process, abandoning the signature-gathering route created under the 2014 “SB 54 Compromise,” which remains overwhelmingly popular among Utah voters.
Chase Thomas, executive director of Alliance for a Better Utah, issued the following statement:
“The Utah Republican Party has repeatedly demonstrated its desire to suppress the wishes of moderate Utahns in favor of a small group of extreme party insiders. Tonight, Utah lawmakers took the first step to rewrite state law and appease that desire.
“Utahns want an electoral process that is fair and open, and a democracy that works for everyone. Cancelling the signature-gathering path to the ballot will be bad for Utahns and bad for democracy. It will open the floodgates for extremism in Utah politics, benefitting a handful of far-right candidates and party ideologues at the expense of ordinary Utahns who are tired of division and extremism in politics.”
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Alliance for a Better Utah is a nonprofit that holds politicians accountable and advocates for progressive policies that make Utah an even better place. The organization improves the lives of all Utahns through advocacy, transparency, and accountability in Utah politics, policy, and government. More information at www.betterutah.org.