📬 Utahns Still Love Vote-by-Mail—Even as Lawmakers Try to Kill It Despite Republican efforts this year to gut Utah’s universal vote-by-mail system, new data shows that more Utahns voted by mail in 2024 than in 2020. Utah voters clearly trust and value vote-by-mail—and they should. It’s secure, convenient, and increases participation. Legislators aren’t trying to fix a problem—they’re trying to shrink the electorate. 📎 KUTV → |
⚡ Mike Lee and John Curtis Battle Over Clean Energy Tax Credits
Utah’s U.S. Senators are offering dueling amendments to the Big Billionaires Bill’s energy provisions. Mike Lee wants to kill off wind and solar tax credits within 60 days. John Curtis, meanwhile, wants to tweak enforcement rules around where renewable materials can be sourced—a softer but still industry-friendly approach.
Let’s be clear—by supporting this bill, both senators are prioritizing fossil fuel interests, just with different amendment flavors. Utah should be accelerating the clean energy transition, not sabotaging it in favor of outdated industries and donor-class priorities.
📎 Deseret News → |
🚔 Weber County Joins ICE Enforcement Program
Weber County just signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE, enabling local law enforcement to coordinate with federal immigration agents. It joins a growing list of Utah jurisdictions embracing this controversial program.
These agreements are dangerous. Deputizing local cops as ICE agents undermines trust with immigrant communities and increases the risk of racial profiling. Utah should be investing in inclusion, not immigration crackdowns. 📎 KSL → |
📱 Utah Sues Snapchat Over “Addictive” Features for Teens Utah filed its fourth lawsuit against a social media company, this time targeting Snapchat. The lawsuit claims the app’s AI-powered features and design are “addictive and harmful” to minors.
There’s real harm in the attention economy, especially for young users—but lawsuits won’t fix everything. Utah should also be expanding digital literacy, supporting mental health, and holding tech companies accountable without slipping into moral panic. 📎 SL Trib →
📎 Utah News Dispatch → |
🏡 Wasatch Front Dominates Utah’s Population Growth
New data shows that nearly 73% of Utah’s population growth over the last two years happened in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, and Weber counties—with Salt Lake City adding the most residents, and Magna topping the growth rate charts. Nearly 18,000 new housing units were built across the region.
Growth is here—the question is whether we’ll manage it wisely. That means building affordable housing, protecting open space, expanding public transit, and resisting the urge to sprawl our way into more pollution and inequality. 📎 Gardner Institute →
📎 Utah News Dispatch → |
Support Smart Growth
Utah is growing rapidly, whether we like it or not. We’ll have to deal with growing pains, but we can manage that growth in smart ways. We need our elected officials to prioritize affordable housing, open space, public transit, clean air, and all the other priorities that make Utah a great place to live. Contact your state representatives and Governor Cox and share your thoughts on how we can best manage growth now and into the future.
Contact your state senator
Contact your state representative
Contact Governor Cox
Do you have an action you want to share? Submit it here. |
Meet the Candidates BBQ - Crossroads Urban Center
July 10 | Noon | Liberty Park, Salt Lake City
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