Proposed constitutional amendment on Utah ballot initiatives draws fire

SALT LAKE CITY — A joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would require Utah ballot initiatives that impose, expand or increase taxes to attain a supermajority, or at least 60% of the vote, to become law advanced out of committee on Wednesday. 

However, it was not before House Government Operations Committee members heard strong opinions from people watching the hearing. 

Utah ballot initiatives

Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, is the sponsor of SJR2. He posed a simple question to members of the House committee on Wednesday. 

“How easy do you want it to be for your neighbors to raise your taxes?” Fillmore asked. “We need that broad consensus, with 60% support, to pass an initiative that would raise taxes.” 

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Billy Hesterman, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, liked the idea. 

“We do believe this is in the best interest of the people and the taxpayers of Utah,” Hesterman said. “We’re going to have to talk about the fiscal issues that come up when we’re trying to fund these things, and so if they have to get to that 60% threshold, they’re going to have to make the case for why it’s important.” 

Jen Brown, president of Utah Citizens for the Constitution, agreed. 

“Citizens in general don’t know all of the details of the budget,” Brown said, suggesting a measure like this one might inspire Utah residents to give ballot measures more scrutiny. “It is appropriate for [a ballot initiative involving taxes] to have to have a higher majority to pass.” 

“We want to have our voice matter”

But multiple speakers urged the committee to vote against changing the rules for ballot initiatives in Utah. They included Chase Thomas, a senior policy advisor at Alliance for a Better Utah, one of the organizations that opposed controversial ballot initiatives last fall.

“Utah’s current ballot initiative process already includes a number of safeguards to ensure that only well-considered and well-supported initiatives make it onto the ballot and into law,” Thomas said. “The majority should be able to continue to act as a check on the legislature in this area as they do in other policy areas.” 

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Leslie Zabriskie spoke on behalf of Mormon Women for Ethical Government. She pointed out that the roots of citizen initiatives run deep in Utah.

“Since 1900, the initiative power has been a fundamental right of the people of Utah. The initiative process is already robust and is adequately protected against misuse,” Zabriskie testified. 

Dallin Robinson did not speak on behalf of any group but said he represented Utah’s young people. 

“We feel unheard. When we vote on ballot initiatives, we want to be heard. We want to have our voice matter. Young people often don’t get in politics because we know that you’re not going to listen to it,” Robinson told the committee. “This bill silences the people of Utah, and the people of Utah are not as dumb as you think. We understand tax policy and we are absolutely competent enough to speak and vote on our own tax policy.” 

Next steps for SJR2

The proposed amendment garnered strong support from House committee members. 

Rep. Jason Thompson, R-River Heights, joined his fellow representatives who expressed surprise at the opposition. 

“I can speak about my colleagues that are here, and what I know, and what I know about the process, and how much each one of my colleagues cares about what the citizens of this state want and need and how much my colleagues listen, myself and my colleagues listen to the citizens of this state,” Thompson said.

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“I, too, find it ironic that where this Legislature is trying to give the people of the state the opportunity to have their voice heard by having this put on the ballot, that the Legislature could be attacked in the way that it’s being attacked, saying that it’s trying to quiet the voice of the people of this state—I reject that notion.” 

Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, voted against advancing the resolution, but not because he likes higher taxes. 

“I think it’s unfair for us to say, ‘Hey, citizens, you require a higher threshold when you’re raising taxes, but we’re not imposing the same requirements on us as legislators,'” Stoddard said. 

The House Government Operations Committee voted to send the bill to the full Utah House on a 7-3 vote. It’s unclear how soon it could be taken up on the House floor. 

If the House approves the resolution, it would go to Gov. Spencer Cox for a signature, before appearing on ballots this fall for voters to decide.

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