Just over 24 hours after a proposed constitutional amendment overriding a unanimous Utah Supreme Court ruling that the Legislature cannot raze laws passed by voters via ballot initiatives went public, just over the required two-thirds of lawmakers — all Republican — gave it the OK to be placed on the November ballot.
Several Republican legislators crossed the partisan divide to vote against the amendment.
The amendment, weighed during a special session that top lawmakers used emergency powers to convene, would give the Legislature nearly unfettered ability to repeal or amend any voter-passed policy. A majority of voters must sign off on the amendment before it is added to the Utah Constitution.
GOP leaders say voters would still be able to run and approve ballot initiatives, but that any changes to the law would have to go through the legislative process, and that would allow them to make changes they deem necessary. But legislative Democrats say the amendment would give the Republican supermajority constitutional cover to “disregard the will of the people.
[READ: GOP lawmakers vote for power to amend, repeal ballot initiatives. Now Utahns get final say.]
Lawmakers approved the amendment as 59 representatives’ and 13 senators’ names will appear with the amendment on ballots in districts around the state in their bids for reelection. Two additional representatives are running for a seat in the Utah Senate, while one has mounted a campaign for governor and another a gubernatorial write-in campaign. One senator is running for Congress.
Here’s how each lawmaker in both the Senate and the House cast their vote: