MILLCREEK, Utah (NewsNation) — A Utah city of 65,000 residents has become ground zero in the state’s yearslong battle over partisan redistricting, with all four of the state’s congressional districts carved into the small suburban community southeast of Salt Lake City.
Millcreek’s unusual division illustrates Utah’s ongoing struggle to implement voter-approved nonpartisan redistricting maps.
In 2018, Utah voters approved a ballot measure demanding nonpartisan congressional maps, but years later, those voter-mandated boundaries remain unimplemented.
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The city’s division means residents can cross different congressional districts simply by visiting nearby businesses.
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A drive-in restaurant sits in Utah’s 4th Congressional District, while a 7-Eleven across the street falls in the 3rd District. A Starbucks on one corner occupies the 2nd District, and traveling a mile and a half east leads to the 1st District.
“It comes down to how you’re represented,” said Elizabeth Rasmussen, executive director of Better Boundaries, a group advocating for redistricting reform. “If the boundaries are drawn in such a way that your voice can’t be heard, that’s a problem.”
The Republican-controlled legislature drew maps that dispersed Democratic voters across multiple districts, a practice critics call gerrymandering.
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A’Lissa Olson, a Millcreek voter and member of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, called it “a blatant attempt to try to diminish the vote of our community.”
However, Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini sees an advantage in the unusual arrangement, noting that having four congressional representatives gives the city more opportunities to lobby for federal grants and secure letters of recommendation for funding applications.
Millcreek residents have taken to social media to highlight their redistricting predicament, creating Instagram videos documenting journeys through all four congressional districts within city limits.
The state legislature faces a Nov. 10 deadline to produce maps complying with the voter-approved law.
