SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Legislative Redistricting Committee tasked with selecting a new map for lawmakers to vote on as part of Utah’s congressional redistricting made their choice on Monday morning.
In an 8-2 vote, the committee selected “Map C” to be presented during the legislative special session. Sen. Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake City) and Rep. Doug Owens (D-Millcreek), the lone democrats on the committee, voted against the selection.
Committee Chair Sen. Scott Sandall (R-Brigham City) said over the last 10 days, the committee has reviewed thousands of comments left by public engagement. Those comments, according to Sandall, left out of comments that were politically motivated or included political data, as directed by Proposition 4 and the court-mandated order.
The map selected by the committee sees Salt Lake City reunited under one district, placing Utah’s capital city in District 3, along with Vernal and Moab. Three cities – Millcreek, North Salt Lake, and Pleasant Grove – as well as Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah Counties are split by the map in order to give each district an equal population.
The Redistricting Committee said the map meets all of Proposition 4’s requirements such as equal population, minimizing city and county splits and following natural and geographic boundaries, among others.
Sen. Don Ipson (R-St. George), who forwarded the motion to approve Map C, said the committee put a lot of consideration into all of the maps.
“I think this map best suits the citizens of Utah to put the rural and the one vote per person,” said Ipson. “I think this is the map that suits the people best and I appreciate you voting for it.”
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Sen. Escamilla and Rep. Owens previously criticized the five maps offered by the redistricting committee, including Map C, as they called a redistricting expert’s objectivity into question. Owens said Democrats had not seen the methodology used by the expert and likened it to “buying a car without being able to see under the hood.”
In response, Escamilla and Owens submitted their own map for consideration, drawn by their own redistricting expert.
Utah lawmakers are now expected to meet during a special session on Monday, Oct. 6, where the full legislative body will consider adopting Map C. If approved, the map will be applied to the 2026 midterm elections when all four of Utah’s congressional districts are up for re-election.
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