Latest news with #DeidreHenderson
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's important to remember': Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joins annual Memorial Day service in Sandy
SANDY, Utah () — Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joined Larkin Mortuary on Memorial Day to honor loved ones and military veterans who have passed. The annual service first started 26 years ago, and included a flag ceremony, patriotic speeches, music, including the anthems of each military branch and several speeches honoring those who have passed defending the country. Red Cross encourages Memorial Day blood donations to honor fallen military 'It's our ability to give back to the community,' said Rob Larkin, President of Larkin Mortuary. 'This is our 140th year and we've just been in the Utah communities serving and this is our way of giving back.' Larkin told the Memorial Day services started last Thursday with youth groups from local churches coming to the cemetery to place American flags in honor of the thousands of veterans buried at the cemetery. Lt. Gov. Henderson said roughly 3,000 servicemen and women from Utah have died while serving in the military, and it's important to remember what their sacrifice means. 'It's important for us to remember that what we enjoy – our freedoms, the blessings of liberty that we live with, day in and day out – those blessings were hard won,' said Henderson. 'It's important for us to remember that, to remember the people who fought for and died for our freedoms.' Henderson said over the years, Memorial Day has morphed to more than just remembering those who died while fighting for the country, but also honoring the veterans who have returned after their service and loved ones who may not have served but passed away. While she believes that is a good thing, she said it's important not to lose sight of the real point of Memorial Day and to honor those who fought and died while serving the country. She also said you don't have to don a uniform or serve in the military to serve. 'There are things that we, as individuals, can do day in and day out to preserve those freedoms. And it starts with remembering what's special about America, about what's special about being Utahn,' she said. 'Community, being kind to each other, doing our civic duty, remembering the big picture. It's the little things that we can do that people should remember today.' Suspects transporting over 100 pounds of marijuana arrested in Summit County Murders and mystery: The dark history behind Camp Floyd UVU to play Oregon in NCAA Tournament Prebiotic sodas becoming more popular, but health claims stir debate 'It's important to remember': Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joins annual Memorial Day service in Sandy Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Signature verification for HB267 referendum is complete
Vote Utah announced Thursday that signature verification for the HB267 referendum had been completed by state elections officials. At the end of the verification process, conducted under direction of the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, 251,590 signatures had been verified and 73,136 signatures had been rejected. There are a number of reasons why signatures may not get certified: signers may not be registered to vote, they may have written their address wrong, filled out the form incorrectly or their handwriting may be illegible. The number of verified signatures is far above the number required to certify a referendum and get it on the ballot. The required number of verified signatures is 140,748, a benchmark which officials say was reached on April 28. County clerk offices across the state participated in the signature verification. The Salt Lake County Clerk's Office verified signatures from over 115,000 registered voters in Salt Lake County, as well as an additional 20,000 signatures of registered voters from other Utah counties, according to a release from the Salt Lake County Clerk. After the deadline to turn in signatures on April 16, and county clerks offices had 21 days to verify the signatures. That deadline was Wednesday. HB267 was passed by the state Legislature in February and was one of the first bills signed by Gov. Spencer Cox. Shortly after the legislative session ended, the Protect Utah Workers coalition launched a signature-gathering effort to certify a referendum to repeal the law. On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson issued a temporary stay of the law which was supposed to go into effect on July 1. Under the temporary stay, the ban on public sector collective bargaining will stay paused until the lieutenant governor declares the referendum petition insufficient or the governor issues a proclamation putting the law into effect. The law prohibits public sector collective bargaining, which is when a union acts as the sole collective bargaining agent for public employees with their employers.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With enough signatures confirmed, controversial union law put on hold
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Canvassers collect signatures as part of the Protect Utah Workers coalition at the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. The organizations behind the signature effort hope to place a referendum on Utah ballots that would undo controversial legislation restricting collective bargaining for public sector employees including teachers and first responders. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) The controversial law that bans public unions from collective bargaining is on hold, for now. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson issued a temporary hold on HB267 Tuesday, part of an ongoing effort from labor groups to overturn the bill through a referendum. In Utah, qualifying for a referendum — which is when voters choose to enact or repeal a law during an election — requires signatures from at least 8% of the state's voters, which is roughly 141,000 people. That 8% threshold must also be met in 15 of the state's 19 Senate districts. The signatures must be gathered in just 30 days. According to Henderson's office, county clerks around the state have processed and certified 245,513 signatures. And data analyzed by political consulting and public affairs firm Morgan & May shows that the 8% threshold has also been met in 23 Senate districts. The temporary stay will likely remain in place until the 2026 general election, which is when voters will decide whether HB267 should remain law. Lawmakers narrowly passed HB267 during the legislative session in February, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed it on Valentine's Day. It prohibits public sector unions (like a teacher or police union) from negotiating terms of employment with the employer (like a school district or a city). Unions were staunchly opposed to the bill, protesting every step of the legislative process. In March, labor groups came together to form the Protect Utah Workers coalition to announce they would be gathering signatures in hopes of qualifying for a referendum to overturn the bill. The coalition included groups like the Utah Education Association, the Professional Firefighters of Utah and the Utah Fraternal Order of Police. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX For 30 days, thousands of volunteers gathered signatures, hoping to meet the 141,000 threshold — and on April 16, the coalition announced it had submitted 320,000 signatures to county clerks across the state, which they say is the most signatures ever gathered for a referendum in Utah. By April 28, data showed that the coalition would likely qualify to put a referendum on the ballot. County clerks still have until the first week of May to verify outstanding signatures — once a signature is verified, it's made public, opening a 45-day window where the voter can choose to rescind their support for the referendum, if they choose. The Protect Utah Workers coalition celebrated the news on Tuesday, telling Utah News Dispatch HB267 is a 'deeply unpopular' bill. Connor Sikes, 22, right, an intern with the Granite Education Association, helps Kelly Watanabe, 22, add her signature to a petition as part of the Protect Utah Workers coalition at the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. The organizations behind the signature effort hope to place a referendum on Utah ballots that would undo controversial legislation restricting collective bargaining for public sector employees including teachers and first responders. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) 'Throughout the referendum process, we saw firsthand that voters overwhelmingly respect public workers and the vital services we provide to our communities,' the coalition said in a statement. 'Union members across Utah stood shoulder to shoulder to accomplish what many thought was impossible. We could not have come this far without thousands of volunteers and voters who made their voices heard. This is proof that when workers unite, we win.' Proponents of the bill say HB267 will protect taxpayer dollars while giving all public employees a voice, not just union members. The bill's sponsors — Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, and Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy — said unions shouldn't be negotiating terms of employment if they don't represent a majority of the employees. The group Utahns for Worker Freedom is among those supporting HB267 — spokesperson Cole Kelley on Tuesday said the group was focused on educating voters and securing a 'ballot victory.' The bill will 'enhance classroom education and safeguard Utah's workers and taxpayers through practical reforms,' Kelley said in a text message. 'As voters learn more about HB267, they'll see why our Legislature passed it and the governor signed it into law. We're confident the voters will vote HB267 into law,' Kelley said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah County Clerk explains why H.B. 267 referendum signature verification is ‘taking extra time'
SALT LAKE CITY () — Recently, the office of Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson for the H.B. 267 referendum. A county clerk responded to that post to explain why fewer signatures had been verified in Utah County compared to others. As of 9 a.m. on April 30, the official numbers were being reported as 183,908 valid signatures gathered. As of noon on April 29, 45,878 signatures had been rejected. The election office also shared the estimated percentages of signatures left to verify in each county. According to the numbers from Tuesday, Davis County had to verify roughly 20% of its gathered signatures, Salt Lake County had 25% remaining, Weber County had 50%, and Utah County had 83% left. RELATED: Utah's collective bargaining referendum hits qualifying thresholds That means Utah County had only verified 17% of the gathered signatures as of April 29, with about a week until the May 7 statutory deadline. On April 30, Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson under the election office's post to explain the 'two reasons why Utah County was behind the other counties.' Davidson's post explained that Utah County was 'doing a second pass on every signature packet,' and that it was reportedly 'the only county' doing so. He said that the second pass was done to make sure the rejected signatures were actually invalid. 'That was taking extra time,' Davidson's statement reads. 'All the other counties were only doing a single pass on their packets.' The second reason he cited was the fact that 'required every county to renumber their precinct designations and submit them to the state.' Davidson said some precincts had to be manually updated in Utah County, which reportedly caused some delays. 'Utah County is now just doing a single pass, and the precinct designation problems have been fixed,' Davidson said. His statement continued on to say that roughly 67% of signatures still had to be verified after making the change to a single pass, and the county's rejection rate was 14% while the statewide average was 21%. 'We have no concerns about completing the signature verification by the May 7th statutory deadline,' Davidson's response reads. H.B. 267 — called 'Public Sector Labor Union Amendments' — and was . Referendum efforts were . In order to qualify for the ballot, the referendum efforts need to collect 140,748 signatures, representing 8% of registered voters in 15 of Utah's 29 Senate Districts. Earlier this week, the Protect Utah Coalition, which has been leading the referendum push, said groups had in making progress to get the referendum on the 2026 ballot: Of more than 320,000 signatures gathered, more than 140,000 had been verified. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has until June 23 to certify those efforts. Those who support H.B. 267 recently told that they will be , rather than trying to keep the referendum off the ballot. Lindsay Aerts and Derick Fox contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Cox speaks in support of SAVE Act after other leaders speak against it
During his monthly press conference on Thursday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox commented on the SAVE Act which was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is backed by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act is being promoted by Republican lawmakers as legislation that is necessary to safeguard elections and prevent noncitizens from voting, which is already illegal. The bill, which will now go through the Senate, would require anyone who is registering to vote to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. There are many people who have spoken out against the bill with concerns about it restricting people who should be able to vote from voting. People who have spoken against the bill include Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson as well as Arizona's Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. 'I'm very supportive of Sen. Lee and the concepts behind the Save Act. I think it's critical, no one should want those who are here illegally voting in our elections,' Cox said. The governor pointed out that the Utah constitution covers the parameters of voting and clearly states that only U.S. citizens can vote in Utah's elections. He added that this bill will help make it so only citizens vote in elections. 'I think the question is, how you do that in a way that makes it so people who should be able to vote can vote and some of those details still need to be worked out, and will be worked out as it moves through Congress,' Cox said. One of the major arguments critics of the bill have made is saying that it would prevent married women whose last name is no longer the same as their birth certificate from voting. This concern also applies to transgender people and anyone else who has legally changed their name. Cox said he does not believe the bill would prevent people who changed their name after marriage from voting, or make it more difficult for them to vote. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson told KSL in a statement that she also didn't like the SAVE Act. She said the bill is 'problematic and impractical on almost all points except its talking points.' In response to KSL's post about Henderson's comments on the bill, Elon Musk wrote on X, 'Those who oppose proof of citizenship for voting are traitors to America.' On Thursday, Henderson posted on X to share that her office will be conducting a full citizenship audit of Utah's voter rolls. She said that this is being done to find any changes that need to be made to ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in Utah's elections. Leaders in Arizona have also had a mixed reaction to the SAVE Act. This swing state often finds itself at the heart of election controversy due to its consistently narrow election margins. In a recent virtual press conference, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes called the SAVE Act 'trash' and said it will negatively impact 'American voters of all political stripes.' 'Conservative women … are more likely to have a different name on their birth certificate than on their driver's license,' Fontes said. 'This is a direct U-turn to take us backwards to a time where narrow the scope of voters,' he said on the virtual panel, hosted by voting advocacy groups and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. 'This is an alleged solution that's searching desperately for a problem and the solution is far more dangerous to the rights of American citizens.' Three House Republicans from Arizona — Reps. Eli Crane, Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs — are listed as the bill's co-sponsors. Contributing: Gitanjali Poonia
