the race to have a say on Utah’s flag
by stefani williams
Volunteer citizens, including many Toquerville residents, are scrambling to collect 5,000 more signatures in Washington County by February 15 for the Utah State Flag Initiative. If this initiative succeeds, it will give voters the opportunity to decide whether we keep the flag that has represented the state since 1913 or adopt the new flag as our official state flag.
The flag that has represented Utah since 1913
The New flag that would become effective March 9, 2024
Some background
Despite the objections and lack of adequate input from citizens, the state legislature narrowly passed, and Governor Cox signed into law, Senate Bill 31 in March of 2023. This law changed our official state flag. The new flag becomes effective on March 9, 2024, unless the Utah State Flag initiative passes.
First a Referendum
Many citizens reached out and asked their representatives to vote no on SB31 during last year’s legislative session. Thankfully, all our Southern Utah representatives listened to the vast majority of their constituents and voted against SB31.
When SB31 passed last March, a large group of citizens sponsored a referendum that would give voters the opportunity to vote on the new flag. This measure fell short of the 137,929 signatures required to get the issue on the ballot.
The Utah referendum process requires that all signatures be gathered within a 40-day window. Through record snowstorms and extreme weather conditions, Utahns from all over the state were able to collect approximately 53,000 signatures for the referendum. That’s no small task, but it wasn’t enough.
now an intiative
While the Utah State Flag Referendum didn’t succeed, it activated an ever-growing number of citizens who care about this debate. So, in June 2023, the Restoring the Utah State Flag Initiative was filed. This initiative is very similar to the referendum that proceeded it.
If citizens succeed in gathering the required 134,298 signatures of registered voters, the issue will be placed on the November 2024 ballot—thus giving voters the right to decide which flag will officially represent our state.
This initiative will repeal Senate Bill 31 and will restore our 110-year-old flag as Utah’s only state flag. Once passed by the voters of Utah, the initiative further requires that the state legislature put any future changes to the Utah state flag on the ballot.
the bottomline
For volunteers working to gather signatures for the Utah flag initiative, the issue isn’t about what flag voters like over the other, per se, but about the process in which the flag was changed. We feel voters should have had the right to decide which flag officially represents us from the beginning of this debate. The legislature should have put the issue on the ballot instead of changing our state flag themselves.
Additionally, many of us feel the state government has more important issues to deal with than to change our state flag and frivolously spend our hard-earned taxes while doing it. To date, the state government has spent at least $500,000 changing our flag. That number will only go up unless our initiative passes.
Where it Stands
We have until February 15th to gather the remaining signatures. 134,298 signatures of registered voters must be certified by the Lt. Governor’s office for the initiative to succeed, and signature thresholds must be met in at least 26 of the 29 Senate districts within Utah.
Our internal numbers show we have gathered over 100,000 signatures. The Lt. Governor's office has certified only about 70,000 signatures to date, but they are several weeks behind in counting and certifying. They have also thrown out at least 11,000 signatures (our internal numbers indicate they have thrown out even more).
We need to gather around 5,000 more signatures in Washington County by February 15th. 3,500 for district 29 (St George, Ivins, Santa Clara, Enterprise), and 1,500 for district 28 (Washington City, Leeds, half of Hurricane, half of La Verkin, half of Toquerville). Gathering this number of signatures is very doable, if we have sufficient locations and volunteers to gather them.
How Can i help?
We need people engaged NOW if we are going to succeed! We are so close, but time is short.
Here's what you can do to help:
1) Make sure you sign the initiative yourself! Contact me (435-654-8454) or visit the Restore Utah’s Flag website for information on where you can sign.
2) Get an initiative packet and walk door to door in your neighborhood. Neighbors are a great resource. Each packet has space for 50 signatures. Signers must be registered to vote, and they must sign the name and address that’s on their voter registration. We also need the date they signed, AND their birthday or age (this will make it less likely that their county clerk will disqualify their name). To get a packet, contact me (435-654-8454), Lori (209-329-6599), or Patricia (435-229-7714).
3) Volunteer to help gather signatures at events in your area. Reach out through any of the numbers listed above.
4) Spread the word about the initiative far and wide on your social media platforms.
5) Help us recruit more volunteers. More hands make less work for everyone.
6) Go to the Restore Utah's Flag website for additional information and resources.
the main point!
Regardless of which flag you prefer, we invite you to join us by signing your name to the initiative thereby giving voters their rightful authority in this matter.