SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A ballot initiative that would create a new system for drawing Utah's state legislative and congressional districts has met the threshold to be placed before voters in November.
An updated count of verified signatures posted Thursday by the state's lieutenant governor's office shows that the so-called Better Boundaries initiative has obtained the necessary voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. Results are not official until they've been certified by the lieutenant governor next month.
Critics of the state's current districts say that Republican lawmakers have gerrymandered them to reduce the number of competitive races and allow politicians to ignore their constituents.
If approved by voters, the new initiative would create an independent commission to redraw districts after the 2020 census. Lawmakers would then vote to approve or reject them.