Primary Election Season Kicks Off

Episode 29 April 03, 2026 00:26:21
Primary Election Season Kicks Off
The Hinckley Report
Primary Election Season Kicks Off

Apr 03 2026 | 00:26:21

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Show Notes

As the debate over election security continues at the national level, host Jason Perry leads a discussion about how primary election season is officially kicking off in the Beehive State. Plus, a contentious citizen initiative will not appear on ballots this November after all.

THE DEEPER DIVE:

• Pres. Donald Trump signed an executive order that would require states to use a federally created "Citizenship List" to compile a roll of eligible voters. That list would also impact state's that utilize vote-by-mail. Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson quickly pushed back. Our panel examines the constitutional questions at the center of this debate, and what the Trump administration is threatening if states don't comply.
• ️ This week the deadline passed for Utah voters to change their political party affiliation ahead of the primary election in June. In Salt Lake County, the number of registered Democrats did increase, leading to questions about whether the state's new Congressional map had any impact on the shift.
• ❌ The citizen initiative aiming to repeal Utah's independent redistricting law has officially failed to qualify for the ballot. Organizers had originally submitted enough signatures, but enough voters requested to have their signatures removed, leading to the initiative falling below required thresholds. We discuss where the fight over Prop 4 could go from here.

️ FEATURING:
• Leah Murray – Director, Walker Center for Politics and Public Service at Weber State University
• Robert Gehrke – Reporter, The Salt Lake Tribune
• Max Roth – Anchor, Fox 13 News

Funding for The Hinckley Report is made possible in part by the Cleone Peterson Eccles Endowment Fund and by the financial contributions of PBS Utah members. If you would like to support the work we do, please visit https://pbsutah.org/supporthinckley

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