Better Boundaries Podcast

We expand our Utah political reform conversation to include a conversation with "Count my Vote" Executive Director Taylor Morgan. "Count My Vote" was a citizen's initiative from 2014  designed to increase civic engagement and voter participation by making primaries mandatory for all candidates.  We discuss "Count My Vote’s" history, evolution, and present day impact. We hope you enjoy this conversation. 

In this episode we speak with Emma Petty Addams and Jennifer Walker Thomas. They are co-executive directors of Mormon Women for Ethical Government. MWEG for short. MWEG is a plaintiff organization in Utah’s Gerrymandering Lawsuit and has a vision of building a more peaceful, just, and ethical world by harnessing the power of women of faith. 

Katie Wright speaks with Victoria and Malcolm Reid. They are married, live in Millcreek, and are both plaintiffs in the Gerrymandering lawsuit against the Utah legislature. Malcolm, a Democrat and Vicki, a Republican have found themselves at the epicenter of four congressional districts in Utah.  

In today's episode, we speak with plaintiff attorney David Reymann in the lawsuit filed against the Utah state legislature over redistricting. David has argued cases at all levels of Utah’s state and federal courts and is with the firm Parr Brown Gee & Loveless.  David shares a little about his background, some of the reasons he decided to argue this case, and details what they're asking of the court in this case.  In full disclosure, Better Boundaries is supporting the case financially, but is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Thank you for listening and please enjoy this episode.

Welcome to the Better Boundaries podcast brought to you by Utahns for a Responsive Government. Our goal in Season 2 is to provide you with updates and context on the fight to end partisan gerrymandering in Utah. Over the series we’ll bring you news about the pending lawsuit, interviews, and updates on the players and the process.  We’ll offer perspectives about the lawsuit and provide context on the fight against partisan gerrymandering in other states. —   We hope you will subscribe and share.

The Independent Redistricting Commission has completed its mission and recommended 12 maps with a 196 page report. At a presentation to the Legislative Redistricting Committee, Chair Rex Facer highlighted transparency, apolitical fairness, and attention to criteria. Retired Utah State Court of Appeal Judge and Commissioner William Thorne summarized their efforts: “Bipartisanship is possible. Fair maps are possible. And our maps are an example of doing that.”

Join Katie Wright, Executive Director of Better Boundaries as she gives a quick recap and overview of the latest developments coming from Utah's redistricting process. 

Join Executive Director of Better Boundaries Utah, Katie Wright as she discusses the 2021 Utah redistricting process with Mallory Bateman, Senior Research Analyst and State Data Center Coordinator, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Bateman is a census expert, and census blocks are the DNA of districts. Learn about Utah's growth, our urban/rural imbalance, and our growing diversity.

This week, Katie Wright, Executive Director of Better Boundaries Utah sits down with West Valley City Mayor Ron Bigelow to discuss the latest in Utah's redistricting process. Bigelow has served both as Mayor and as a state legislator in his 28 years of public service. He shares his perspective and experience with redistricting.

Join Executive Director of Better Boundaries Utah, Katie Wright as this week she sits down with Former Executive Director Noah Rosenberg to discuss the latest in Utah's redistricting cycle. October is a critical month - both the committee and the commission are hosting meetings, and the Independent Commission will narrow down their draft maps to a few of each. Learn about key trends in Utah's 2021 Redistricting so far.