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Senate advances resolution to ask voters whether Utah’s attorney general should be appointed, sparking sustained floor debate
Summary
Senator Todd Wyler sponsored SJR 3, a joint resolution the Senate advanced on second reading that would put before voters a constitutional amendment to change Utah’s attorney general from an elected to an appointed position.
Senator Todd Wyler urged the Senate to send SJR 3 to the ballot, arguing that appointing the state attorney general would depoliticize a high‑profile office and attract experienced, non‑campaigning lawyers. “We would be putting this on the ballot next November, to let the citizens of this state decide if the position of attorney general should be appointed rather than elected,” Wyler said on the floor. He proposed a bipartisan screening commission to forward five names to the governor, Senate confirmation of the appointment, a multi‑year term (he suggested six years) and high removal thresholds to prevent partisan interference.
Wyler recounted high‑profile controversies and fundraising by prior candidates as part of his case. He told colleagues that the recent attorney‑general race raised “just shy of a half a million dollars at 1 and a half million dollars” and alleged additional unreported funds in the range of several hundred thousand dollars, material he cited to justify structural change. Wyler said an appointed AG could “focus on the law” rather than campaign fundraising.
Opponents questioned whether appointment would create new accountability problems. Senator Reid asked how the legislature could secure enforcement of laws if a governor directed an appointed attorney general not to defend a measure on appeal; Senator Wagner and others pressed whether the legislature would retain meaningful recourse if the governor refused to initiate removal proceedings. Senator Weiler and others warned appointment could reduce direct contact between the officeholder and the electorate and could shift political influence to the governor’s office. Senator Wyler said he is open to amendments — including shorter term lengths and language clarifying removal mechanics — and offered to work with colleagues before third reading.
On second reading the clerk recorded the tally as 16 votes in favor and 13 opposed; the resolution was ordered to be read for a third time. The transcript’s published roll‑call line contains a duplicated phrase in the tally and that duplication is flagged in the audit; the 16–13 figure is what appears in the record line.
