It’s been more than four years since Count My Vote launched its first direct primary election initiative, and Utahns haven’t stopped arguing about it since.
SB54, the Count My Vote-inspired law that created Utah’s dual-track election method, has survived multiple repeal attempts and court challenges. But a new ballot initiative failed to reach the ballot this year, after petition signatures were peeled away by a targeted opposition campaign, and a last-ditch effort asking the Utah Supreme Court to intervene landed with a thud.
Wounded by those losses, does Count My Vote still have the muscle to defend SB54? Or will its opponents, both inside and outside the Legislature, now have the footing they need to land a fatal blow?
On this week’s “Trib Talk” podcast, Count My Vote executive co-chairman Rich McKeown and Keep My Voice executive director Phill Wright join Tribune reporter Benjamin Wood to discuss the future of their organization’s efforts to preserve, or repeal, Utah’s dual-track elections.
“Trib Talk” is produced by Sara Weber with additional editing by Dan Harrie. Comments and feedback can be sent to tribtalk@sltrib.com, or to @bjaminwood or @tribtalk on Twitter.
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