A Utah initiative to repeal Proposition 4 will not be on the 2026 ballot. While supporters originally submitted more than 200,000 signatures, and more than 160,000 were verified by the lieutenant governor, a number of voters have requested that their signatures be removed from the petition.
To be placed on the ballot, sponsors of the initiative in Utah needed to submit a number of signatures meeting two criteria:
- A total number equal to 8% of the state's active voters. For 2026, that number is 140,748.
- 8% of the state's active voters in at least 26 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts.
The number of verified signatures still meets the required threshold for the total. But while supporters originally met the 8% requirement in 26 Senate districts, voters in Senate District 15 have removed enough signatures to drop below the 8% requirement. Senate District 15, in Salt Lake County, covers portions of Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, West Jordan, Sandy, and Brighton.
Effort to withdraw signatures
Beginning in February, Better Boundaries, the group that sponsored Proposition 4 in 2018, led an effort to encourage voters who had signed the initiative petition to remove their signature. The effort included sending letters to voters who signed the petition, urging them to remove their signature and providing a pre-filled form with return postage to send to their county clerk to remove their name from the petition.
On March 6, 2026, the state legislature approved House Bill 242 (HB 242). Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed HB 242 the next day. Among other changes to initiative requirements, the bill invalidated any signature-removal statements postmarked after that date and submitted with prepaid postage. Legislative Republicans, except one in the Senate, voted for HB 242, while legislative Democrats, except one in the House, voted against the bill.
On March 26, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that approximately 9,000 voters had removed their signatures from the petition. About 1,000 were in Senate District 15.
2021 changes to petition signature law
In March 2021, the Utah state legislature passed House Bill 136 (HB 136). Among other changes to the initiative and referenda process, HB 136 required sponsors of initiative petitions to send an email to initiative signers that provided the email address that informed them on how to remove their signatures from the petition. Sixty-three of 72 (87.5%) legislative Republicans voted for the bill. Legislative Democrats, except one in the House, voted against the bill.
Other states that allow removal of signatures from petitions
Of the 26 states that have a statewide initiative and referendum process, six states—California, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington—allow individuals who have signed a ballot initiative petition to later withdraw their signatures. However, Utah is the only state where a person can remove their signature after petitions have been submitted and signature verification has begun.
Reactions to the drop in verified signatures
After the lieutenant governor published the updated count of signatures on March 26, Rob Axson, Utah Republican Party chair and leader of the initiative campaign, said, “We have significant concerns about the practices utilized by the opposition and continue to review the signature validation and removal process. Whether now or in the future, by litigation or initiative, we will Repeal Prop 4. This fight is not over but just beginning.”
Also in response to the news, Elizabeth Rasmussen, the director of Better Boundaries, said, “With reports suggesting the Prop 4 repeal may not qualify for the ballot, we will continue to help Utah voters who felt they were misled about what they signed to remove their signatures.”
The deadline for signing the initiative petition was Feb. 15. The deadline for removing a signature from the petition is a rolling deadline; voters can remove their signature from the petition for 45 days after their signature is published on the state’s website.
Redistricting in Utah since Proposition 4
The push to repeal Proposition 4 is the most recent development in Utah redistricting.
In 2018, Utah voters approved Proposition 4, with 50.3% of ballots cast in favor. Prop 4 created a non-politician redistricting commission, called the Independent Redistricting Commission, tasked with drafting and recommending congressional and state legislative district maps to the state legislature for approval.
In 2020, the state legislature altered the law with Senate Bill 200 (SB 200). Prop 4 originally granted the commission sole authority to draft congressional and state legislative district maps and to recommend them to the state legislature for approval. SB 200 created a legislative committee that also had the power to draft and recommend district maps.
On Aug. 25, 2025, Judge Gibson of the Utah Third Judicial District Court ruled that SB 200 was unconstitutional. She held "that the Legislature unconstitutionally repealed Proposition 4, and enacted SB 200, in violation of the people’s fundamental right to reform redistricting in Utah and to prohibit partisan gerrymandering." Therefore, the congressional districts created in 2021 were also unconstitutional.
On Nov. 10, 2025, the court adopted a new district map that “better satisfies the redistricting standards and requirements contained in Proposition 4." That map is the one in place as of February 2026. However, the state legislature moved the filing deadline for congressional candidates from January to March 2026 to allow time for an appeal in the case.
For a more detailed breakdown of the lawsuit and legal proceedings, click here.