Utah House OKs congressional map carving up Salt Lake County

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Republican-controlled Utah House approved new congressional maps Tuesday that set aside the work of a voter-approved independent redistricting commission in favor of boundaries that further carve up the Democratic-leaning Salt Lake County. GOP lawmakers say their maps better reflect the state as a whole with a mix of urban and rural voters. The maps were passed by a vote of 50 to 22, over opposition from minority Democrats and a few Republicans. The bill now goes to the state Senate. The new maps will determine congressional districts for the next decade. One of Utah’s four congressional districts has historically been a swing seat, but the approved maps would likely change that.