MWEG Press Conference Statement at the Utah “Vote No” Rally

The following statement was read by MWEG Co-Executive Director Emma Petty Addams and MWEG Utah Chapter Co-Coordinator Melarie Wheat at a press conference at the Utah State Capitol. The event was held to launch a “Vote No” campaign for a proposed amendment to the Utah state constitution — Amendment D, which would grant the Legislature unlimited power to repeal citizen initiatives.

It is a beautiful day to gather as citizens to speak up for our rights! Thank you so much for joining us here today as we speak up, once again, for our right to reform our government. This is not a new position for us to be in, is it? We have done it before and we will keep doing it, as many times as we need to!

My name is Emma Addams, and I’m here today with Melarie Wheat representing Mormon Women for Ethical Government, also known as MWEG. We’re a cross-partisan, grassroots organization with thousands of members across the country, and more than 2,000 here in Utah alone — representing the breadth and diversity of our great state.

The whole American experiment is built on the idea that citizens have a critical role to play in determining the quality of their government. Today we’re here to affirm that Utahns will continue to claim our right to guide and reform that government — now, and into the future.

In November, voters will have two competing visions to choose from.

One comes from politicians at the legislature who want you to believe that only they should have the power to enact state law, and that they should be free to do that without significant checks.

Our view is different and is based on a belief in “we, the people.”

We believe that voting in representative elections, going to the courts, and pursuing the complicated ballot initiative process are three ways for the people to seek redress when the balance of power in state government begins to slip.

Yet, every time we’ve tried to exercise one of these three constitutionally enshrined rights to reform our government, the Utah State Legislature has moved quickly and unilaterally to immediately change the rules. 

Eliminating Utahns’ ability to have fair and independent redistricting, and pursuing a constitutional amendment to override the courts and undo citizen initiatives, is an attempt to stamp out our ability to check their power.

You’ll hear the Legislature talk about the value and importance of representative government, but how can that be true when they work consistently to insulate themselves from the voice of the people? The honest answer is that it is not true.

Utahns are critical thinkers. We evaluate information and pay close attention to how decisions will impact our families, neighbors, and communities. And we know what is at stake here. 

Utah gained statehood over one hundred years after the U.S. Constitution was ratified. That century had already taught both our young nation — and the religious minority living here in the Utah Territory — a great deal about the horrors that result from unchecked power. We know that there is always a real risk of using power to exercise dominion over others. The genius of the U.S. system is that it balances power between three distinct but equal branches.

Each of those branches has the ability to check the others if they stray too far.

The Utah Supreme Court is one such check. 

But the Utah Constitution makes clear that the voters of Utah are another.

For nearly 130 years, that system has successfully endured — but it is under threat. Together, we can ensure that system continues by providing a balance to the Legislature’s power grab.

The action we’re talking about today, and that we will be sharing with voters across the state until November, is grounded in American and Utah values.

Please join us in voting “No” this November.