- Do you support or oppose the Independent Redistricting Commission and Standards Act that Utah voters approved in 2018? Please explain your reasoning.
- Strong and unwavering support. Each campaign I organize a run (The Gerrymeander) to bring awareness to how distorted HD 3 is. I have been outspoken in support of Prop 4 and all of the reprehensible actions the legislature has taken to overturn or distort it. For more, see this piece on my website: https://c4071a41-0f1b-4d6d-b0fd-bafad4f37f4b.usrfiles.com/ugd/c4071a_35d6cb073f7f46aa8f02febc411ec899.pdf
- What should happen when the legislature disagrees with a map the commission produces, and what would you do in that situation?
- When there is disagreement, open and honest discussion should follow. That, of course, has not been what has happened historically. But I look forward to being a voice in the legislature that is bringing substantive and honest discussion to the issues that matter. In the end, the law is clear, I believe, that the legislature should choose a map drawn by the commission. All of this is quite tenuous with the recent packing of the supreme court and other measures intended to undermine the independence of the court. But I will be a staunch defender of fair maps and our judicial system.
- Do you support Utah's vote-by-mail system as it stands?
- I do. The Lt Governor's audit found exceedingly low cases of non-citizens voting. The biggest risk I see in our current system are situations in which members of a household may be unduly influenced by others regarding who to vote for (e.g., in some cases people may not be given the privacy to vote their conscience). But I suspect that is rare and the best way to handle it is to have resources available for people in such unhealthy relationships within their household, not eliminate safe and secure mail-in voting. In rare cases, it is also possible that some individuals may fill out ballots for others in their household. But I believe Utah's signature-verification system is robust.
- What would you do to encourage more people to vote who currently don't vote?
- Yes, voter registration and encouraging less active voters has been a hallmark of my campaign. I have knocked over 14,000 doors myself, over my three campaigns. I often knock every door in a given area, not just selective doors where I know there will be persuadable, high propensity voters. That has allowed me to talk with many people who rarely vote, many of whom have just given up on politics altogether. And I'm proud to say that in at least some of those situations, the person has indicated that they rarely (or never) vote, but I have motivated them to vote in the upcoming election.
- Utah voters can put questions on the ballot through citizen initiatives and referenda. Should the threshold for passing them be changed? Why or why not?
- Yes, the people must retain the right to reform our government and put questions on the ballot. I do not believe the threshold needs to be changed. It is already a monumental task, as it should be. But it needn't be any harder for people to participate in their government in this way.
- What do you see as the relationship between transparency and corruption?
- Transparency is one of our strongest safeguards against corruption. When decisions are made behind closed doors, it becomes easier for powerful interests to exert undue influence and harder for citizens to hold their representatives accountable. Transparency alone doesn't guarantee integrity, but it creates the conditions for accountability and public trust. I believe the public has a right to know who is influencing decisions, whose interests are being served, and why decisions are being made. Good government should welcome scrutiny, not seek to avoid it.
- Does Utah's GRAMA support the public's right to know, or does it need strengthening? Or is it too stringent?
- I strongly support GRAMA. In 2025, I was part of a group that utilized a GRAMA request to uncover unethical behavior within Logan City. This is an essential tool to ensure transparency in government operations. I would be open to learning more about if/how it might be strengthened.
- Describe a specific action you would take in office to make sure every person in your district has equal access to government services and equal protection under the law, regardless of citizenship status.
- I would ensure state agencies provide clear, accessible information about services and legal protections available to everyone, including meaningful language access and a simple process for reporting discrimination. No one should fear seeking help, reporting a crime, or interacting with government because of citizenship status. Equal protection under the law must mean equal protection in practice.
- Is there anything else you think is relevant that our questions did not reach?
- Thank you for all the work you do. I apologize for my concise answers...it's high season for campaigning, so I didn't have the time that I would have liked to respond to these questions. But I hope you can see that we are very well aligned in our thinking. I look forward to working with you in the legislature next year. My race will be tight, but we are building excellent momentum, taking advantage of the strong anti-incumbent and anti-Republican sentiment, and, having received 46% of the vote in 2024, I stand a very strong chance to win this race on Nov 3.
