Today, Republican leaders from across the state sent a letter to Governor Cox, President Adams and Speaker Schultz regarding Utah's laws regarding ballot initiatives.     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Republican leaders release letter to state leadership on ballot initiatives SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Today, a group of Republican leaders from across the state sent a letter to Governor Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz regarding the Utah Supreme Court's recent ballot initiative decision. Concerned that the Court's decision will render irreparable harm to Utah, the letter urged Governor Cox, President Adams and Speaker Schultz to take immediate action. The full text of the letter is below: Dear Governor Cox, President Adams, and Speaker Schultz, We, leaders from various groups across Utah, representing a wide array of backgrounds, regions, and political beliefs, unite to express our profound alarm regarding the recent Utah Supreme Court decision on initiatives. This ruling represents an existential threat to the values, culture, and way of life that define our state. The Utah Supreme Court decision deviates starkly from the principles that have guided our state so effectively. By allowing initiatives to become immutable "super laws," the Court has opened the door to potentially devastating consequences. Utah now faces the risk of becoming like California, where large sums of outside money influence laws that do not reflect the values of our citizens and undermine our cultural integrity. While past legislative overreach has understandably led to some distrust among the people, the voice of the people in governance remains crucial and cannot be overstated. Although the intent of initiatives is to amplify that voice, this ruling creates a rigid and unmanageable system that disrupts our republican form of government. We believe grassroots-led initiatives can have value when they garner strong support and can be refined as necessary through the legislative process. We also believe the right of the people to provide a check on the legislature, through a referendum process—a people's veto of legislative actions—remains essential. Our founders wisely designed a representative republic to prevent the chaos of direct democracy. This ruling disrupts that balance, leaving Utah vulnerable to the whims of special interests and fleeting majorities. If we do not act to mitigate the consequences of this decision, Utah’s strong community and quality of life will be severely jeopardized, impacting our future and generations to come. Given these exigent circumstances, we believe it is imperative that the legislature be immediately called into special session to propose a constitutional amendment. This amendment should safeguard our laws from being unduly influenced by outside groups while simultaneously respecting the role of properly balanced grassroots-led initiatives and strengthening the people's right to veto laws through a referendum process. We, the undersigned, urge you to protect the integrity and future of Utah and we call upon our fellow Utahns to join us in calling for the same. Signed, Robert Axson, Utah Republican Party Chairman Stafford Palmieri Sievert, Utah Republican Party Secretary Utah Citizens for the Constitution Path Forward Utah Pro-Life Utah Utah Legislative Watch Worldwide Organization for Women Derek Brown, Republican Nominee for Attorney General and former Utah Republican Party Chair Nicholeen Peck, Republican Nominee for HD 28 Joann Brinton, Republican Nominee for State School Board, Washington County Eagle Forum President, WCRW member Kress Staheli, Mayor of Washington City Bill Hoster, Mayor of Leeds Nanette Billings, Mayor of Hurricane, WCRW member Kurt Ivie, Washington City Councilman Michelle Tanner, St. George City Council Member Bret Henderson, Washington City Councilman Kim Casperson, Washington City Councilwoman Janene Burton, WCRW Secretary and Santa Clara City Council Member Chris Null, Salt Lake County Republican Party Chair Yemi Arunsi, Davis County Republican Party Chair Chad Saunders, UTGOP State Central Committee Member and CD2 Executive Committee Member Wendy Hart, UTGOP State Central Committee Member and Chair of the Audit Committee Haylee Caplin, Washington County Republican Women President and UTGOP State Central Committee Member Alexis Ence, Washington County Republican Women Vice President and UTGOP State Central Committee Member Aaron Bullen, UTGOP State Central Committee Member and Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws (C&B) Committee Mac Sims, UTGOP State Central Committee Member and former Utah County GOP Vice Chair Gunnar Thorderson, UTGOP State Central Committee Member Gayle Ruzicka, Utah Eagle Forum Merrilee Boyack, Abortion-Free Utah Coalition Chair and Strengthen Utah Families President Dalane England, United Women’s Forum Vice President Larry Meyers, Platform Republicans PAC Treasurer Kristen Chevrier, Your Health Freedom Utah Tenna Hartman, United Women’s Forum President Janice Legler, Former UTGOP State Central Committee C&B Chair, Platform Republican PAC Officer & Board Member Carolynn Phippen Jen Brown You can view a PDF of the letter here. #### For questions, please contact [email protected].   www.utgop.org Utah Republican Party | 420 East South Temple Suite 390 | Salt Lake City, UT 84111 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice