Utah's Gerrymandering Saga

A Quick History Lesson

Massachusetts, 1812. Governor Elbridge Gerry had just signed a map that helped his party win 29 of 40 state senate seats. His party got fewer votes than the other side, but won almost everything anyway.

A newspaper cartoonist looks at one of the new districts and thinks, "That looks like a salamander." He draws claws, adds wings and teeth, and publishes it with a joke: "Gerry-mander."

The word stuck. Two hundred years later, politicians still do the same thing, only now with software that can test thousands of maps in seconds instead of a hand-drawn one.

So What IS Gerrymandering?

Every ten years, the Census counts everybody and states redraw their district maps. That makes sense: people move, some places grow, others shrink, and districts have to have roughly equal populations.

Whoever redraws the lines can rig the game with two tricks.

Packing Cram your opponents into one district and let them win it by a landslide. Winning with 51% counts the same as winning with 99%. It's like letting your rival score 50 points in one game, so they're too tired to win the next five. Picture Salt Lake as a blue "donut hole" that wins one district big while the rest of Utah stays red.

Cracking Split your opponents across several districts so they're a minority everywhere. A city that votes 60% one way isn't a majority anywhere if it's carved into four pieces. Picture Salt Lake City where four "pizza slices" meet: the tip of each slice is blue, the rest is red.

Both tricks are about "wasting" the other side's votes.

Pi Pizzeria? The Pie Hole? Centro?

The pizza problem here in Utah isn't delicious.

Salt Lake County has about one-third of Utah's people, and most of its Democratic voters. After the 2010 Census, the Legislature had a choice: keep Salt Lake County mostly together, or slice it up.

Slice, slice, slice. They chose the pizza. Yum.

The 2011 map split Salt Lake County across three congressional districts, pairing parts of Salt Lake City with rural areas hundreds of miles away. One pollster put it bluntly: "If those who drew the districts want Utah to remain as a one-party state, they've done a darn good job."

After the 2020 Census, they did it again, with four slices instead of three. Under the old lines, Trump won the 4th District by about 9 points. Under the new lines, the same voters would have given him about 26. Same voters, different lines.

Ben McAdams had won the 4th District in 2018 by just 694 votes, then lost it in 2020 by less than a point. After the 2021 map, analysts called the redrawn district "virtually impossible for a Democrat to win."

The Voters Fight Back

Utah voters weren't having it. In 2018, a group called Better Boundaries put Proposition 4 on the ballot: an independent commission would draw maps instead of politicians, with rules against favoring a party.

The vote was incredibly close: 50.34% to 49.66%, a margin of about 7,000 votes.

So everyone is properly represented now? All is good in the world? Yes… until the Legislature threw it in the trash can. "Kobe!"

In 2020, lawmakers passed SB 200, which made the commission "advisory." Small words like "may," "must," "must not" and "advisory" are easy to miss, but they can change what a whole bill means. That one word turned the voters' shout into a whisper: the Legislature could ignore the commission and didn't have to explain why.

The voters said "we want fair maps." The Legislature said "that's cute, but no," and sent us to bed without a glass of milk and a hug.

The Courts Step In

In 2022, the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and several voters sued. Their argument: you can't gut what the voters passed. Here's how it played out.

1. July 11, 2024The Utah Supreme Court rules unanimously that the people have a constitutional right to reform their government by initiative, and the Legislature can't simply override it.
2. Fall 2024Lawmakers put Amendment D on the ballot to let them change voter-passed laws. The courts void it before it can take effect.
3. August 25, 2025Judge Dianna Gibson strikes down SB 200 and the 2021 map: "Proposition 4 is the law on redistricting in Utah." She orders new maps.
4. October 2025The Legislature passes a replacement, "Map C." Experts testify it is more Republican than nearly every map a neutral process would produce; the judge later calls it "an extreme partisan outlier."
5. November 10, 2025The judge rejects Map C and picks Map 1, submitted by the groups that sued. It keeps most of Salt Lake County in one district that leans Democratic; the other three lean Republican.

The Legislature was furious. One representative floated impeaching the judge; leadership walked that back pretty quick.

The Legislature Fights Back

1. December 2025In a special session, lawmakers condemn the ruling, move the congressional filing deadline to March, and send redistricting appeals straight to the Utah Supreme Court.
2. February 2026The Utah Supreme Court dismisses the Legislature's appeal because the case isn't final yet. A federal panel refuses to bring back the 2021 map. Lawmakers also create a new three-judge "constitutional court" for challenges to state laws, which is itself being challenged.
3. February–April 2026A citizen initiative to repeal Prop 4 turns in more than 200,000 signatures. Then enough voters ask to have their names removed that it falls short in key Senate districts. On April 30, the lieutenant governor rules it won't be on the ballot.
4. June 23, 2026Ben McAdams wins the Democratic primary in the new 1st District.
5. July 2026Legislative leaders drop plans to put an amendment limiting citizen initiatives on the November 2026 ballot, saying they'll let the courts finish first. November 3, 2026 is the first general election under Map 1.

Why Should You Care?

Gerrymandering doesn't just affect one party. It affects everyone. When politicians pick their voters instead of voters picking their politicians, accountability disappears. Why would a representative listen to you if they'll win by 30 points no matter what?

The Big Questions

What Happens Next?

Utah's story still isn't finished. The Legislature's appeal of the larger case is waiting for a hearing at the Utah Supreme Court, which lawmakers recently expanded from five justices to seven. The fight over the new "constitutional court" is still in the courts. Leaders shelved their amendment to limit citizen initiatives for 2026, but say it could come back as soon as 2028. And after the 2030 Census, the maps get redrawn again.

So let's ask ourselves again: do we want a democracy where voters pick their representatives, or where representatives pick their voters?

Your Turn

Play Draw the Lines. Start with the practice state to learn packing and cracking, then see Utah's real maps. Draw a pizza slice, a donut hole, or a salamander just for fun.

Look up your congressional district. Is it compact or strange-looking? Who drew it? What did it look like before?

I want to end by telling you to contact your legislators and make your voice heard… but would that make a difference? Isn't that the exact point?

Our system is supposed to be about the people deciding. If the maps are rigged before anyone votes, is it really the people deciding?