ELECTIONS, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT
On the Hill: Utah Constitutional amendment “secures” Utah electoral votes
Feb 4, 2025, 7:00 AM
FILE: Members of the Utah House of Representatives stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in their chamber at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on the first day of the legislative session on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. Utah lawmakers are considering multiple amendments to the Utah Constitution, one resolution HJR5 secured the Utah electoral votes. (Isaac Hale/Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers are considering multiple amendments to the Utah Constitution during the 2025 legislative session. One of them, joint resolution HJR5 addresses what the sponsor calls a “threat” to the current electoral college system.
Inside Sources hosts Rusty Cannon and Taylor Morgan spoke with the HJR5 sponsor on Monday, Feb. 3. A partial transcript, and a link to the podcast, are below.
This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HOST: RUSTY CANNON: State Rep. Jason Kyle [R-Huntsville,] thanks for joining us. The bill we’re talking about … is HJR5. … Help listeners understand what this bill does.
GUEST: REP. JASON KYLE: What this bill does is, it makes it so that the legislature can’t enter into an interstate compact or an agreement with other states to give away our electoral college votes to a group — to the national popular vote winner.
HOST: TAYLOR MORGAN: This piece of legislation would have to go on the ballot in 2026 for Utah voters to approve. Is that correct?
KYLE: Yes, all of our constitutional amendments have to pass through with a two thirds majority in the House and Senate and then be approved by the voters on the ballot.
MORGAN: Rep. Kyle, what can you tell us about the national popular vote, the effort, the organization that this amendment would thwart. What do you know about them?
KYLE: One of the groups that I first met with after I was elected was the National Popular Vote Movement. They met with a group of legislators and tried to convince us about how it would be a good idea. And we all kind of looked at them and said, This is a terrible idea. Most of the states that have entered into this compact are large, populous states-
CANNON: California, New York, I apologize for jumping in representative Kyle. This just touches a nerve with me. This type of effort, the national popular vote, is completely an effort to do away with the Electoral College to where you say ‘hey, no, it’s the popular will, the people.’
Well, all you’re going to do is enshrine the majority, tyranny of the majority. Then you would have all states in the middle of the United States, Utah being one of them, they’ll be relegated to permanent flyover state …
Contributing: Andy Cupp
Please listen to the entire podcast below:
