State Feed: Utah

Utah ACLU Legal Director Honored For E-Signature Court Victory

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:44:16 -0400

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Utah ACLU Legal Director Darcy Goddard with the August 2010 John Lilburne Award. Darcy is honored this month for her work on a groundbreaking e-signature case in which the Utah Supreme Court ruled in June that the state must accept electronic signatures on an independent candidate’s petition.

Utah: State Supreme Court takes on e-signatures

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:16:11 -0400

The Utah Supreme Court is considering the issue of e-signatures and whether they should be used in ballot initiatives. The court is also considering the arguments of Farley Anderson, an independent candidate for Utah governor, who was booted from the ballot on the issue of e-signatures. Anderson and the American Civic Liberties Union ( ACLU) are arguing e-signatures are the same as signing a paper ballot. Another group, Utahns for Ethical Government, has also joined the fight to bring e-signatures on the ballot for all candidates.

Utah: Ethics and redistricting measures don't make ballot

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:35:44 -0400

A pair of initiatives intended to create independent ethics and redistricting commissions won’t appear on the ballot this fall. The lieutenant governor’s office said Tuesday that neither initiative gathered the required number of signatures to be placed before voters.

Read the story from ABC 4

ACLU Joins Fight to Have Electronic Signatures Counted in Utah

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:27:43 -0400

Utah’s highest court will hear arguments tomorrow to decide if signatures collected over the internet count on Utah petitions. The effort to allow signatures is being backed by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Utah: Ballot access case brings ACLU support

Tue, 25 May 2010 11:43:41 -0400

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah will represent aspiring candidate Farley Anderson as he takes his electronic-signature battle to the state Supreme Court on June 2. In March, Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell rejected Anderson as an independent candidate for governor because a small portion of his required 1,000 signatures were gathered online.

Read the story from The Salt Lake Tribune

Citizens' Rights Safe in Many States as State Legislatures End Sessions

Tue, 18 May 2010 14:23:59 -0400

Of the 45 states whose legislatures hold sessions in 2010, 27 of them have adjourned for the year, and 5 more will wrap up before the end of the month. Of the more than 80 bills dealing with the initiative and referendum process in various states, 51 of them would have reduced citizens’ initiative rights. Thanks to the work of activists in our coalitions, only 3 bills reducing citizen’s rights have passed and become law.

Utah: Deseret News Says Average Citizens "Squeezed Out" of Petition Process

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:50:50 -0400

One of Utah’s largest papers, the Deseret News, has editorialized against the state’s highly restrictive distribution requirement. The paper correctly points out that such requirements severely hamper grassroots petition efforts:

Utah: Too much restriction in initiative law (editorial)

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:55:31 -0400

State lawmakers make no bones about it, they don’t like citizen initiatives. They contend that the legislative process better serves the electorate because important proposals undergo the legislative hearing process, where members of the public can express their support or concerns for various proposals. Then, the legislation must pass both houses and be signed into law by the governor, who also has the option of a veto.

Read they story from Deseret News

Utah: "E-signatures" in Utah will get court review

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:59:58 -0400

A federal judge ordered Utah county clerks to keep confidential the names signed electronically on petitions for a “Government Ethics Reform” initiative. Utahns for Ethical Government sued all the county clerks in Utah, claiming it needs the electronic signatures to qualify its initiative for the ballot, but many signers do not want their names made public. Utahns for Ethical Government needs 95,000 signatures to qualify its initiative for the November ballot. It claims to have gathered 77,000 signatures in ink and at least 18,000 “e-signatures.”

Court Victory for Utah Petition Proponents

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:58:20 -0400

Federal Judge Dale Kimball has issued a temporary restraining order barring the Lt. Governor and the clerks of all of the state’s 29 counties from making public the names of voters who signed the Utah Ethics Commission Initiative petition. A hearing has been set for April 28th to determine if the release of voter’s information violates their right to anonymous political speech.

You can read the order here.

Utah: Ethics initiative closes in on ballot signature requirement

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:34:00 -0400

The fate of a citizen petition drive to land its expansive ethics-reform initiative on November’s ballot is still unclear, though Thursday was the deadline for the 95,000 valid voter signatures to be turned into county clerks across the state. Leaders of the effort could not say whether they met the threshold or not, only that it was “close.” But a second petition drive fell short — this one to create an independent commission to help in redrawing voting boundaries in the once-a-decade task of redistricting.

Utah Group Files Suit to Block Release of Voter Names

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:02:07 -0400

The latest development in Utah’s rapidly changing initiative rights, Utahans for Ethical Government has filed suit in U.S. District Court asking the court to block the public release of names of voters who signed their petition. The lawsuit, similar to Doe’s argument in the pending Doe v.

Utah Gov. Herbert Rubber Stamps Legislature's Attack On Voting Rights

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:17:25 -0400

Over the past few weeks we have been telling you about two Utah bills aimed at weakening the initiative petitioning rights of Utahans, and unfortunately Gov. Gary Herbert has decided to put his rubber stamp on both bills.

Utah: Utahns for Ethical Government holds rally on capitol steps

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:53:02 -0400

Utahns for Ethical Government and the national nonpartisan group Citizens in Charge joined together on Utah’s capitol steps Monday to condemn Utah’s legislature and governor for seriously constraining Utah citizen’s constitutional right to petition the government. By signing SB275, Governor Gary Herbert gave every registered voter in Utah the ability to remove their signature from a petition more easily. He also gave special interest groups an extra month to convince you to do so.

Utah Press Conference Recap

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:03:58 -0400

Yesterday, Citizens in Charge President Paul Jacob spoke at a joint press conference in Salt Lake City, Utah with Utahns for Ethical Government calling on Utah Governor Gary Herbert to veto a bill on his desk that will restrict citizen rights in the state. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Utah: Gov. Herbert Signs Controversial Signature Removal Bill

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:46:09 -0400

Ethics initiative organizers on Monday accused Gov. Gary Herbert of seeking to “stymie citizen participation” after he signed a bill that will make it easier to remove petition signatures. Herbert signed the controversial bill Saturday, despite a plea from initiative supporters calling on him to veto the legislation. Citizen-initiative advocates predict the law will result in campaigns to harass petition-signers, as opponents try to persuade them to remove their signatures.

Utah: U.S. Group Rips Governor on Petition Law

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:44:43 -0400

A national, nonpartisan foundation chastised Utah’s lawmakers and governor Monday for enacting new laws they say further weaken the people’s constitutional right to petition their government. Over the weekend, Gov. Gary Herbert signed SB275, which makes it easier for people who have signed initiative and referendum petitions to remove their names. That law also gives opponents an extra month after the time for signature-gathering has expired to target the petition drive’s weakest area and take it down.

Utah: Petitioners Criticize Governor Over Signature Removal

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:40:08 -0400

Groups advocating government reform are criticizing Gov. Gary Herbert for making it harder for citizens to create laws by making it easier to have their signatures removed from petitions. The big question now is: will they have enough signatures? A pair of citizens’ petitions — one on ethics, another on redistricting — need nearly 100,000 signatures, but in some districts they’re coming up short. The 2010 elections in Utah could be remembered as the Year of the Big Reform Showdown.

Utah: Governor signs restrictive bill into law

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:36:55 -0400

A bill making it easier for Utahns to remove their names from a statewide initiative or referendum petition has been signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert. The bill is largely intended to keep a citizens ethics initiative from ever reaching the ballot. Its critics said the proposal handicaps the initiative process. Utahns for Ethical Government needs to gather 95,000 valid voter signatures from 26 of 29 Senate districts to qualify the ethics initiative for the ballot.

Read the story from Local News 8

Initiative Rights Group Calls on Governor to Veto Bill

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:00:02 -0400

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Today, Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge, the only national transpartisan voter rights group dedicated to protecting and expanding the ballot initiative process, spoke at a press conference with Utahns for Ethical Government on the steps of the capitol rotunda in Salt Lake City, Utah and called on Governor Herbert to protect the initiative rights of Utah citizens by vetoing House Bill 112. This bill will have a chilling effect on the initiative process in Utah, and make it more difficult to get a measure placed on the ballot.