Utah Republicans who oppose a law that allows candidates to reach the ballot by collecting signatures are out of step with voters, former Gov. Mike Leavitt told House GOP members in a private meeting on Wednesday.
The former three-term Republican governor said during a closed caucus meeting that a campaign to essentially solidify a controversial 2014 elections law through a ballot initiative would begin efforts to reach the 2018 ballot immediately.
Leavitt said the resistance by GOP insiders, including some in the Legislature, to the way candidates can reach the ballot has divided the party, and that voters should decide how they want to select their candidates.