Utah's first independent redistricting commission kicks off this week, but will its work matter?

This week, we’ll get a chance to see a little bit of Utah history being made.

Tuesday will mark the first official meeting of the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission. And all it took to get here was years of stonewalling by Republican legislators before voters took matters into their own hands with a ballot initiative.

Before we get too carried away, it’s important to keep in mind what this commission is and what it isn’t. The 7-member panel will recommend boundaries for congressional, state legislative and state school board districts to the Legislature — which ultimately could adopt the commission’s maps or reject them altogether.

So what is the likelihood that lawmakers will take the maps seriously, how will the commission operate and how much input will you and I have?

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/04/11/robert-gehrke-utahs-first/
(Salt Lake Tribune)