I can’t believe it is already September! This year and a half has been difficult, stressful, and draining on many of our businesses and on all of our families and friends in so many ways, but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel!
Worried About Election Fraud in Utah County? Important meeting tonight!
An issue that keeps coming up in my emails is election fraud. Safe, secure, and fair elections are vital to our representative democracy, as is citizen participation, and we need to safeguard our election integrity.
When constituents began raising questions, I reached out to our county clerks to better understand how our elections were being administered. They took the time to answer every concern, and I now have great confidence in our election process in Utah, especially here in Utah County.
This year, the County Clerk’s office has received an unprecedented number of requests for information and records. In an effort to increase public transparency, trust, and understanding of our elections process, Josh Daniels, our County Clerk, has scheduled an open house tonight at the elections office. You will be shown how elections work from start to finish. You’ll see the processes, equipment, safeguards, efficiency and cost savings measures, and more. If you have ever had questions about this, I encourage you to attend.
What: Election Open House
When: Wednesday, Sep. 8, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Utah County Health and Justice Building
151 South University Avenue, Suite 1600
Provo, UT 84606
| Elections Transparency Open House Eventbrite: Find event and ticket information. |
COVID: The Neverending Story
School has started and COVID-19 continues be an issue. Striking the right balance of protecting both personal liberties and health has become polarizing and controversial.
However, something that parents, the education community, health departments, the legislature, and the governor do agree on is that in-person instruction is crucial to the success of our students. I am so grateful to our education community and their dedication to our children in the face of the incredible circumstances and tensions caused by this pandemic.
I have heard from some parents who are very frustrated that the legislature is not quickly responding to the rise of COVID cases from the Delta variant.
The state legislature is rarely quick on our feet, and that is by Constitutional design. Because of this, it is very difficult for us to respond to a constantly changing health situation and to localized conditions. However, the process we put in place–that gives control to the local health departments and elected officials (in addition to the governor)–has the advantage of being able to respond to local data and quickly changing health conditions. Our County Commissioners and the Utah County Health Department are very aware of the data specific to our area, and they are working on health protocols for our schools.
In addition, schools can choose to practice measures that have been shown to be more effective in combatting COVID than masks such as social distancing, using air purifying systems, and practicing increased hygiene and sanitation. If you have any questions on the proactive steps your school is taking to combat COVID-19 this fall, please contact your school, school board representative, or district.
Ultimately, parents should decide what is best for their student. The measures recommended by the health department will encourage students to keep themselves and their classmates healthy by taking personal responsibility. I am hopeful that students will face fewer interruptions to in-person learning and have a much more consistent educational experience than they have the previous two school years.
The State Department of Health has added a new page on conronavirus.utah.gov that shows COVID rates at individual schools. It is not complete, but should be by the end of the week. To find this info, go to https://coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts/ and click on schools.
REDISTRICTING
The newly-released 2020 U.S. Census Data and report shows population shifts over the last decade and how these will force changes to current district boundaries.
As the fastest-growing state in the nation, Utah grew by 18.4 percent since 2010. However, not all areas of the state grew evenly; therefore, the need to redistrict. Utah County grew by 27% and had the greatest increase in the percentage of the state’s populations of all counties. We will likely get at least one additional state representative.
Our state has two redistricting committees: one legislative and one independent (created after Proposition 4 passed last year). Both committees are working to ensure a fair and non-partisan process.
The Independent Redistricting Committee has been holding meetings for the last four months with leaders and citizens in cities and counties all across Utah, and future meetings can be found here. You can give input, draw maps, and learn all about redistricting on their interactive website.
The Legislative Redistricting Committee will travel the state in September and October to gather input, listen to feedback, and review public maps. You can stay up-to-date by following the Legislative Redistricting Committee on social media: Twitter & Facebook, and visiting redistrict.utah.gov.
Read more about the Legislature’s commitment to ensure that redistricting is fair and transparent here or by watching this short video from the Speaker.
Also, be sure to submit your own maps for consideration using the state-of-the-art map drawing tool.
The Legislative Redistricting Committee is coming to our area on Monday, September 13th at 6:00 pm in the Sorenson Student Center Grande Ballroom at UVU, 800 W University Parkway, Orem. This is a great opportunity to share your opinion with the legislative committee.
September Interim
Legislators will meet together September 14-15th for appropriations and interim meetings at the State Capitol. These meetings are open to the public and are a great way to learn about policy that impacts you! Visit le.utah.gov for more details or to participate virtually.
Honoring Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover
Hundreds of Utahns gathered at the Utah State Capitol to pay tribute to Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover. State leaders, family and friends of the fallen Marine, fellow servicemen, and several others attended the vigil and participated in a moment of silence.
We grieve the loss of Utah Marine Staff Sergeant, Taylor Hoover, along with the 12 other servicemen and women, who paid the ultimate price in Afghanistan last week. We honor their selflessness and courage and send our love and prayers to their loved ones.
Twentieth Anniversary of 9/11
The Major Brent Taylor Foundation presents an interactive commemorative museum experience highlighting the events of September 11, 2001. The event will run from September 9-11 and will be held at the Weber County Fairgrounds. The goal of the event is to serve as an educational gathering location that respectfully honors the events of 9/11 and subsequent sacrifices for and contributions to fighting terrorism. Click here to learn more.
Podcast
Head over to our Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen to the Utah House Majority’s recent podcast, covering topics from legislative audits to redistricting!