Mormon Women for Ethical Government works on redistricting: NPR

Emma Petty Addams is a classically trained pianist and piano teacher. But for the moment, this part of his life is on pause.

“It’s kind of who I am. And once I can get back to it, I will. Right now, this thing called democracy — democratic republic is important,” Addams said with a laugh in an interview.

Addams is co-executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government – ​​known as MWEG. The group is among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that now requires lawmakers to reapportion Utah’s four congressional seats.

Addams spoke at his suburban Salt Lake City home. She was joined by one of the individual plaintiffs in the case, MWEG member Vicki Reid, who sees the suit as consistent with her faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I think the only thing that comes to mind is an anthem that says, ‘Do what’s right, let the consequences follow,'” she said.

The sheet music for the anthem is on Addams’ piano. The consequences are being felt this week in the Utah Legislature and perhaps soon across the country.

The redistricting comes amid Trump’s battle for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Under a court order following the lawsuit, the Legislature on Monday adopted a new district map that improves Democrats’ chances of winning a House seat in the heavily Republican state next year. The card still needs to be reviewed by a judge.

This comes as President Trump has sparked a national redistricting race by pushing Republican states to redistrict and helping their party maintain its hold on Congress. Trump criticized the court’s decision, saying Utahns should be “outraged by their activist justice system.”

Although Utah’s Republican lawmakers respect the court, they are not satisfied with it. Republican state Rep. Candice Pierucci said in an interview that the lawmakers represented the state better than the plaintiffs “who have their own donor groups and their own members that they are beholden to.”

“They’re not accountable to the voters of Utah,” she said.

Usually, states redistrict at the beginning of the decade, when the census results are known. But Trump convinced lawmakers in Texas and Missouri to redistrict to benefit Republican candidates. Other states could follow.

MWEG’s involvement came before Trump’s redistricting race

MWEG has been working on redistricting for years. The group claims to have formed in 2017 amid “dehumanizing behavior” from the government and claims some 9,000 members across the country. Most are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Addams said about 40 percent are Republicans — including herself — and 34 percent are Democrats. The rest is independent or in thirds.

Laura Eyi, the group’s public relations manager, acknowledges that members often disagree with each other, but their religion keeps them connected.

“As Church members engage in their communities and in politics in general, they will do so in a way that honors the dignity of the person with whom they disagree,” Eyi said. “It really comes from a place of faith.”

They tend to focus on the democratic process, which is what led them to redistricting.

“In states like Texas and other places, it’s a partisan fight. It’s between the Democrats and the Rs,” Addams explained. “Here in Utah, this is a principled, multipartisan effort to try to deliver the best version of representative government that we can have.”

In 2018, Utah voters supported the formation of an independent commission to conduct the state’s redistricting. It was part of an effort to minimize partisan gerrymandering that splits seats to benefit one party or another.

But Utah’s majority Republican Legislature instead took back redistricting power, largely overturning the ballot initiative. Lawmakers then passed a map that split Salt Lake County — the most Democratic-leaning region — into four other congressional districts.

MWEG, the League of Women Voters and individual plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in 2022, leading a Utah district court judge to rule that the Legislature had exceeded its authority and order redistricting now.

The last map of the district will come back before a judge

Reid, a MWEG member who identifies as a moderate Republican, joined the lawsuit with her Democratic husband.

“Yes, Utah is a red state. That means in a red state, more than 50 percent of residents voted for fair maps,” Reid said. “Parliament has a responsibility to listen to people. And that just hasn’t been the case.”

Currently, Republicans hold all four House seats. Republicans dispute that the state constitution allows voters to directly decide redistricting. “The Utah Constitution gives sole responsibility and authority to draw maps with the state legislature, period,” Pierucci told NPR. They promise to take the case to higher courts if necessary.

For now, however, the map passed by Parliament this week will be sent back to the judge for review. MWEG and other plaintiffs will be allowed to intervene. Addams says lawmakers still haven’t met the nonpartisan requirements set by voters.

“MWEG joins thousands of Utahns who have expressed comments opposing the Legislature’s partisan, cherry-picked map that violates these requirements,” Addams told NPR in a statement.