| 2010 petition to revamp state liquor laws under consideration
May 16, 2008. On May 15, the Utah Hospitality Association filed wording with the Utah Secretary of State aimed at an eventual petition for a statewide initiative in 2010 that would do away with the private-club system of liquor sales in the state, under which people must pay fees to get a drink. Gov. Huntsman's spokeswoman, however, said the state legislature might enact the desired legislation "rather than having to wait for a vote in 2010". ...more
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| Law banning local land-use initiatives may be unconstitutional
May 7, 2008. The Utah Attorney General's Office believes there's a good chance that a new law banning voter initiatives on land-use ordinances is unconstitutional. Assistant Attorney General Thom Roberts said there is "a serious concern that a court would strike SB53 down as violative of the Utah constitutional provisions concerning initiatives." Roberts wrote that by banning initiatives and referenda on land-use ordinances, the law "appears in direct conflict with the Utah Supreme Court cases" on such voting rights. ...more
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Statewide, Utah allows four of the available seven forms of direct democracy. If the Utah legislature places either a constitutional amendment or a statute on the statewide ballot, voters can ratify or reject it. Utahns can petition a statute (but not a constitutional amendment) onto the ballot and they can also exercise the right of veto referendum over laws passed by the state legislature, which they did most recently in 2007, when a school voucher bill was rejected at the polls.
Utah is located in the western United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 88% of Utah's 2,500,000 people, known as "Utahns," live in an urban concentration with Salt Lake City as the center, known as the Wasatch Front. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making the population the sixth most urbanized in the U.S. The name "Utah" is derived from the Ute Indian language, meaning "people of the mountains". Utah is known for its geological diversity ranging from snowcapped mountains to well-watered river valleys to rugged, stony deserts. Meanwhile, Utah is also known for being one of the most religiously homogeneous states in the Union, with approximately 62% of its inhabitants claiming membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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