Utah Republicans reject election security program in the name of election security.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Gawk the Vote
In these days of election skepticism, it would be good to have a system that instills confidence. Legislators typically say they are looking for ways to give voters that confidence, because problems abound. Just look at all the voter fraud—wait, there isn't any? But ... but there could be, right? That must be why Republicans in Salt Lake, Weber and Davis counties are calling for an end to Utah's participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, because it's "a politically driven voter registration scheme," KSL reports. Of course, any voter registrations—by their nature—are political, but that hasn't stopped a nationwide conspiracy network. ERIC is a nonprofit, bipartisan, voluntary consortium of 32 states to help election officials improve the accuracy of their voter rolls and register more eligible Americans to vote. But since 2022, eight states have pulled out of ERIC, believing incorrectly that it's bankrolled by George Soros and is a left-wing tool. The misinformation machine has come to Utah and ironically is working to make elections less secure.
Bring in a Ringer
Utah managed to stop all those transgender youth athletes from playing in girls sports. Mommy and Daddy want to see their little girls win, even though trans girls aren't really taking all the Ws. And the whining continues. Now international students are in the spotlight. Frankly, it's because some private schools might have been recruiting abroad. KSL and the Utah High School Activities Association have been investigating. "The alleged recruiting of foreign players appears to have limited the opportunity for Utah players to participate," said UHSAA's Mark Van Wagoner, who's proposing a rule change to ban students on a certain visa. The evidence is "clear," investigators say. Layton Christian won seven championships, and Judge Memorial won its first since 2008. So rather than target the noncompliant recruiters, UHSAA is choosing to go after the students. It's the Utah Way.
Extraction Distractions
Of course, the state just wants the feds to trust us—especially with public lands. "Utah has a long track record of successful conservation and restoration of its public lands in tandem with local BLM offices," Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement. The Bureau of Land Management released a rule to conserve federal land on a landscape-wide basis, meaning landscapes have to be intact. Cox and his governor friends want that changed, fearing that "multiple uses such as conifer removal projects, livestock grazing, renewable energy development, mining, oil and gas exploration, road improvements, dispersed camping, and many other activities could be deemed to 'disrupt, impair, or degrade' in different situations." Note the inclusion of mining and oil and gas exploration. BLM did revise the rule some while the feds continue to protect federal lands for the future.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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