Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser says Prop 4 isn't about creating better boundaries, "just better boundaries for Democrats.”
Why are we getting all that national money? Sixty-nine percent of pro-Prop 4 money this election cycle came from out of state.
But let's look at Niederhauser's record. He serves on the board of ALEC, a national group of state legislators allied with big corporations. Ninety-nine percent of ALEC’s funding comes from corporations and foundations, including Altria (tobacco), the Koch Brothers (fossil fuels), Wal-Mart, Exxon, Peabody Energy (coal), GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and PhRMA (pharmaceuticals). Lobbyists for these groups write model legislation to favor corporate interests and give the suggested bills to ALEC's members to present to their states.
ALEC aside, let's look at Niederhauser's campaign contributions. Vote Smart lists his 2014 out-of-state contributions as $122,690.48, with Altria giving $10,000 and PhRMA $4,000.
Niederhauser has no problem accepting out-of-state contributions or partnering with corporations that craft legislation. He only has a problem with out-of-state contributors working to end gerrymandering. He wants officer holders to choose their voters, which is backward. Gerrymandering harms American democracy in blue states (Maryland) and red states (Utah). It’s contributed to our dismal voter turnout. Prop 4 enjoys bipartisan support. Vote yes on Prop. 4.
Rochelle Kaplan, Cottonwood Heights
