- Do you support or oppose the Independent Redistricting Commission and Standards Act that Utah voters approved in 2018? Please explain your reasoning.
- I fully support it. A healthy democracy needs fair maps and legislators shouldn't choose who votes for them.
- What should happen when the legislature disagrees with a map the commission produces, and what would you do in that situation?
- It would depend on what basis they disagree with it. A representative who is mad because they are in a new, more competitive district should not have a legal basis to challenge the map. However, if the legislature felt that the independent commission did not follow the law when making the map, there should be judicial review to ensure the commission made a map following the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission and Standards Act.
- Do you support Utah's vote-by-mail system as it stands?
- I love Utah's vote by mail system. Its very convenient and secure.
- What would you do to encourage more people to vote who currently don't vote?
- I am a big proponent of two policies that would help increase the amount of people voting. In utah specifically, I'd like to see automatic voter registration. Other states do this and I think we should as well. The second is a Federal holiday for voting. Utah's vote by mail probably would be less impacted by that than other states, but they're both great policies that I think should be supported.
- 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?
- No, it should not. The citizen initiatives are a great way for people who do not feel represented to be able to put ideas and solutions in front of the state. Raising the threshold to 60% is just meant to hinder the people from having more of a say.
- What do you see as the relationship between transparency and corruption?
- Everyone knows corruption thrives in the dark / Light is the best disinfectant. What I want more state legislators to think about or realize is that even the appearance of corruption is enough to infect their legacy. I'm know there are many honest legislators right now, but they don't see that writing a lot of legislation behind closed doors and rushing to votes in very short sessions means people will doubt their intentions.
- Does Utah's GRAMA support the public's right to know, or does it need strengthening? Or is it too stringent?
- I think state legislators should be held to the same transparency as city councils, school boards, and county commissions, and we should reduce the exemptions on official calendars and lobbyist communications. We need to also reduce agency response windows and restrict open-ended "extraordinary circumstances" extensions.
- 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 sponsor legislation that would codify the Utah Compact into community policing standards civil reporting. The goal of it would be to direct local law enforcement to focus resources on violent and property crime rather than enforcing federal civil immigration infractions, ensuring that all residents can call 911 or assist police investigations equally. It would also clarify state evidentiary statues so that reporting a crime, wage theft or housing violation cannot be used to trigger civil immigration inquiries. I want to ensure that victims and witnesses have access to the justice system without fear.
- Is there anything else you think is relevant that our questions did not reach?
- No
