As a mom of grade school kids, I’m constantly nagging — “Brush your teeth! Get your shoes on, it’s time to go! It’s almost bedtime, finish your homework!” My kids may hear what I say, but chances are, they do not really listen or care the first time, or even the first 10 times. Often, it’s only when I step in to enforce some kind of consequence that I get their attention.

Unfortunately, I feel a similar frustration when I try to communicate with my elected representatives about issues that matter to me. I send email after email to my representatives, usually getting a response, but with little hope that my efforts will change their actions. And I’m not alone. Particularly on the issue of Prop 4, the Legislature has done everything possible to reverse the will of the majority of Utah voters.

In 2018, voters approved Prop 4 – a ballot initiative that established an Independent Redistricting Commission to draw electoral maps based on neutral, nonpartisan standards to keep communities together.

In 2020, as the Commission gathered input from citizens across the state to determine how to draw fair electoral maps, the Legislature promptly passed SB 200 to repeal Prop 4. It made the Independent Commission advisory only, and allowed the Legislature to draw electoral boundaries without being held to the unbiased standards in Prop 4. In 2021, the Legislature rejected the Commission’s proposed maps and, instead, approved a map that split Salt Lake County into four separate congressional districts.

This set off a legal battle that has dragged on for years. Proponents of Prop 4 sued the Legislature, and in 2024, the Utah Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature did not have the power to overturn Prop 4. Although the Utah Constitution tasks the Legislature with determining electoral boundaries, the court found that this role cannot override the people’s constitutional right (Article I, Section 2) to “alter or reform their government,” as they did with Prop 4.

Using tactics any parent would recognize, the Legislature stubbornly tried to retain the power to draw gerrymandered maps:

• In 2024, they tried to persuade voters to pass Amendment D, which would allow the Legislature to overturn citizen initiatives.

• After a district judge mandated that the Legislature draw a new congressional map to comply with Prop 4, they created another map that split Salt Lake County into four separate districts. In court hearings, it became clear that this map still violated Prop 4.

• The Utah Republican Party gathered signatures across the state to try to repeal Prop 4, spending over $4.3 million from out-of-state PACs.

Since Utah courts rejected the Legislature’s many attempts to circumvent Prop 4, the Legislature has turned its efforts to restructuring the courts. Despite extensive criticism from the public and legal experts, the Legislature quickly passed SB 134 to add two justices to the Utah Supreme Court. Next, they passed HB 392 and SJR5 which create a new three-judge constitutional court at the district level. These laws give the Legislature, Governor, and Attorney General the power to bypass the standard judicial process- transferring cases to a three-judge panel when they deem the case ‘constitutionally significant,’ or simply whenever they find an assigned district judge inconvenient. Even some conservative commentators like Glenn Beck have lamented that these actions will erode public trust in the government.

Recent polls found that 85% of Utah voters want an Independent Redistricting Commission, and 57% of Utah voters (including 47% of Republicans) do not want to repeal Prop 4. Yet the supermajority Republican legislature insists on overturning the will of the voters. Now they are also trying to restructure Utah’s courts in order to avoid constitutional challenges to their actions.

When I contact my legislators, I don’t expect them to agree with me on every issue. But I do expect a fundamental respect for public input. In a family, the parents have the power to set the rules and hold their children accountable when they don’t live up to those expectations. It feels like the Legislature is forgetting that, according to the Utah Constitution, “all political power is inherent in the people.” As voters, we need reassurance that our legislators are not just hearing our words, but truly listening and acting in our best interest.

Anna Neumann lives in Roy. She has a BA in Economics and Political Science and a Masters in Public Policy. She is a member of Mormon Women for Ethical Government.