Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Redistricting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Weber County staff told commissioners court order forces congressional redistricting, requiring four precincts to be split into nine
Summary
County staff said a judge nd the lieutenant governor irected changes to U.S. House boundaries that move most of Weber County into District 2 and parts into District 3, requiring the county to split four existing precincts into nine by the Jan. 2 candidate-declaration deadline unless the state delays filing dates.
County staff informed commissioners at a Dec. 1 work session that an order issued Nov. 21 by a judge requires Weber County to change congressional-district boundaries and reassign precinct lines ahead of the candidate-declaration period.
"The lieutenant governor's office notified us that we need to make changes for our congressional districts to be in compliance with the full order that was issued by Judge Gibson on November 21," staffer Lauren Schafer said, describing a change that will move most of the county from U.S. House District 1 into District 2 and place portions of the valley into District 3.
Why it matters: the county must know which district candidates will file for before declarations open. Schafer told the commission that four precincts in the valley would need to be split into nine — one precinct will need to be split into three parts — to align building-level and condo addresses with the new U.S. House 2/3 lines.
Commissioners asked whether the state might delay filing deadlines. One commissioner noted the legislature was exploring moving filing dates to March in a Dec. 9 special session; staff said the county will prepare maps to comply with the Jan. 2 deadline but could revert them if the state order is changed. "So we have to do this... because we have to be in compliance with this court order by January 2 because we start declaration of candidacy," Schafer said.
What happens next: staff said they are coordinating with GIS and the Utah Geospatial Resources Center to implement the precinct splits and will place a brief work-session item on the commission calendar after Dec. 9 to update the board in case the state acts. Commissioners discussed operational impacts on the county's aging voter-registration and candidate-filing system and noted any bifurcation of filing periods would complicate precinct boundary management.
The commission did not take a final vote on precinct changes at the meeting; staff said they would return with maps and a proposed agenda item after the Dec. 9 special session developments.
