Letter to the editor: The irony of Cox’s call for Constitution Month prayer

In honor of Constitution Month, Gov. Spencer Cox has called for a day of prayer and fasting. Instead, the Utah Legislature should uphold the values of the U.S. Constitution by turning away from their current crusade to take away the peoples’ voice via their newest state constitutional amendment that would give them veto power over the results of citizen-led ballot initiatives, and their opposition to changing gerrymandered voting districts.
At its base, the U.S. Constitution establishes the right of the people to have a say in the policies that govern them. The efforts to avoid redistricting and to pass the proposed amendment are in direct contrast to this fundamental democratic value. Gerrymandering seeks only to hear the voices that agree with the party in power and aims to weaken the voices of any dissenters. Additionally, the proposed amendment serves only to silence the people and give ultimate, unchecked authority to those in power, directly opposite to the ideals that America was founded upon. To preserve the civil rights of the people, I call upon the Utah Legislature to celebrate the Constitution not through fasting and prayer, but by acting according to, and enhancing, the voice of the people.
Claire Robinson
Salt Lake City