New and old political challenges — redistricting, drought and mail-in voting

By Renae Cowley, Frank Pignanelli

Republican Renae Cowley is a political consultant, lobbyist, social media influencer and professional rodeo athlete. Frank Pignanelli is a Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser who served as a Democrat in the Utah State Legislature.

Three issues that could challenge Utah’s success have received recent media attention. We offer hope to readers.

According to a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, more than 80% of Utahns approve of the ballot mailing system in some form. Yet, President Donald Trump recently promised an executive order eliminating vote-by-mail across the country. Is our preference for electioneering in jeopardy?

Cowley: President Trump blames vote-by-mail for his 2020 loss. Cox stated Trump is right to be suspicious of mail-in ballots due to the increased risk of fraud. Both are correct, but Utah has successfully implemented universal by-mail balloting for almost a decade and does it right.

Last session, HB300 passed, requiring voters to opt-in for by-mail voting and to renew this preference every eight years. Thankfully, the process is easy. This will help clean up voter rolls, ensuring only eligible Utahns cast ballots, reducing fraud.

Our government depends on free and fair elections. This requires a secure process to safeguard our democracy. Our nation also benefits from greater voter participation, which vote-by-mail yields. We don’t have to give up one to get the other. Sen. Lee is right. It should be “easy to vote” but “hard to cheat,” but that doesn’t require the full elimination of by-mail ballots. I, and many of my fellow Utahns, will continue to ardently defend our right to perform our civic duty in fuzzy slippers.

Pignanelli: “Our country … was set up by the Constitution to be a federation of sovereign States, not administrative districts of a Federal Government that retained all the power itself.” — Ronald Reagan

In a Truth Social post, President Trump threatened an executive order to eliminate mail-in voting. He stated, “The States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes.”

It is intriguing (to be kind) how few defenders of the Constitution objected to this convoluted understanding of federalism.

The Constitution authorizes states to appoint electors who will cast ballots for president and vice president without reference to public approval. Indeed, general elections were not used by most states to select electors until 1824. The role of states in determining the president and vice president is almost sacred in this representative democracy.

Utah honors this fundamental right of sovereignty by conducting efficient elections that are almost entirely free from fraud, thanks to a well-managed mailing system. Utahns have worked hard to achieve this success and will retain the benefits, regardless of any potential executive order.

All of Utah is in a drought condition. Parts of the state have faced similar challenges for most of the last 20 years. Lawmakers have been aggressive in funding and altering laws to save the Great Salt Lake and promote greater efficiency. But more is needed. Will it happen?

Cowley: I know firsthand the severity of this year’s drought conditions. My horse pastures have suffered, and our irrigation is getting shut off early. This is a casualty of living in a high, arid desert.

The Great Salt Lake, critical to our ecosystem and lifestyle, contributes to the greatest snow on earth, but experts say it will need an additional 770,000 acre-feet of water annually to reach ideal levels. That is more than twice the capacity of Jordanelle Reservoir.

We can’t legislate our way out of living in this climate. What we can do is be responsible and thrifty with the resources we have. Lush lawns and water-intensive landscaping need to be sacrificed to ensure we meet the bare minimum requirements for drinking water.

Pignanelli: Former speaker Brad Wilson deserves gratitude and respect for how he focused the attention of the Legislature on addressing the Great Salt Lake in water issues. Along with Gov. Spencer Cox and Senate President Stuart Adams, our state leaders adjusted funds and policies towards better use of our water resources. As a result, Utahns overwhelmingly responded by limiting their usage of water in many conservation efforts.

However, if nature continues a measly allocation of precipitation, further modifications to public policy regarding usage will be necessary, especially because of predicted growth. This will require sacrifice and a total collective readjustment towards this precious resource. Utah’s renowned legacy and commitment to excellence will drive practical and successful solutions.

Utah’s Supreme Court just ruled that Utah will need to draw new congressional district maps. Pending an appeal by the Legislature, these new maps will need to be finalized by November so that election officials can prepare for the election. What impact might this have on the upcoming election cycle?

Cowley & Pignanelli: This case will be appealed to the Utah Supreme Court, and possibly the U.S. Supreme Court, which will delay a decision for months, if not years.

Regardless of legal machinations, candidates will file for office in January. Many are already fundraising and readying campaign plans. This uncertainty on congressional maps is compounded by legislative election pressures — increased union involvement (an unavoidable outcome of the referendum) and a left-wing special interest group’s attempt to flip 10 districts from red to blue. If this ruling stands, we will be engaged in an interesting but turbulent election cycle.

NOTE: We recently passed the one-year anniversary of Renae participating in this column. Many readers, including me, are grateful for her perspective.