SALT LAKE CITY — The road to redistricting has been a long one, with a lot of legal hurdles and twists, but it was volunteer citizen groups that decided to take the legislature to court.
They didn’t think it would take this long or require this much effort. But those with the Utah League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government in particular are breathing easier today and enjoying a bit of a victory lap.
Politics
Judge selects Utah congressional map, creates district that could lean Democrat
They’re quick to add, however, that this isn’t a win for them, but a win for Utah voters.
“This is a great win! I am feeling very positive," Katharine Biele, the president of the Utah League of Women Voters, said about Utah’s redrawn congressional map.
Biele said this has been a long time coming — going back to 2018, when voters passed an initiative to ban partisan gerrymandering.
“We have not lost a single time. We’ve won in 2018, we won in 2021, when we started the lawsuit. The Utah Supreme Court, we won unanimously there," she said.
Her group worked hand in hand with Better Boundaries and another grassroots group, Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
WATCH: Utahns on both political sides hope new redistricting map sets example for nation
FOX 13 News spoke with MWEG spokesperson Vicki Reid on Tuesday.
“It’s been an incredibly long haul with many twists and turns," she said.
Vicki Reid and her husband moved to Utah less than a decade ago. She’s a Democrat, and Malcom Reid is a Republican.
“But we’re both moderates, and we both believe in good government and fair processes," Malcolm said. “This is not a protest group. We’re looking to create fair districts where people's voices are reflected."
Vicki Reid strongly agrees.
“I feel like right has always been on our side and I’m glad that the courts could see that and had the strength to stand up to the legislature, because that’s no easy thing," she said.
Neither the Reids nor Katharine Biele are under any illusion that this will open the floodgates for Democratic victories.
“This is Utah; we have a majority Republican state. But it will be competitive, there will be reasons to vote, reasons to listen to the candidates and reasons to decide which candidate you really want," she said.
Biele also wants to remind everyone that the judge who issued the ruling in the redistricting case was nominated by a Republican governor, Gary Herbert, and ratified by a Republican Senate.
