Bu Ilene Hacker, Columnist, March 22, 2024 (Publisher’s note at end)

Related article: A Quick Look at WashCo’s Elected State Officials

There are 2 ways to get on a ballot.

1. Convention

Where neighbors select delegates to represent them, then the delegates attend a convention where they cast their votes to elect leaders. The Republican Convention will be held on Saturday, March 23 in Hurricane.

2. Signatures

Candidates who fear the delegates won’t vote for them at Convention, use SB54, a bill passed by legislators where candidates are allowed to collect signatures to get on the primary ballot. If a candidate takes the signature route and they get the required signatures on time, even if they lose at convention, they are guaranteed a spot on the ballot.

Candidates can file to take both the convention route and signature route.

Senator Don Ipson elected to do both. 

Ipson was required to get 2000 signatures.

Ipson hired the company, Gather, to collect signatures. Gather hires people to go door to door to get signatures. 

Ipson paid Gather $22,000 to collect signatures. 

Ipson turned in 2400 signatures.

Over 600 of the signatures were thrown out for various reasons by the Washington County Clerk.

Ipson was short over 200 valid signatures.

Ipson now can only go through the convention.

The very delegates Ipson bypassed and tossed aside are the same people who now have the power to keep him off the primary ballot in June.  

Delegates and District 29 Voters, ask yourself…

●How many times have you received legislative updates and correspondence from Senator Ipson in the last 16 years?

     I did get a Christmas card from Ipson last December.   I have never once received an email from him until after he found out he failed to collect the required signatures.

●How many town meetings have you been invited to by Mr. Ipson to reach out to you so he can see how you want him to represent you?

●What did Senator Ipson do to fight to save our history and heritage during the Dixie State name change?

●How many Keep Dixie protests did he attend?  There were many.

●How many Keep Dixie meetings and events did Ipson attend.

●How many parades did Ipson participate in with hundreds of Keep Dixie supporters?

●How many emails sent by you, did Ipson respond to?

●Did Ipson stop the Dixie name change in committee as promised?

●Did Ipson stop the name change bill by rallying his fellow Senators to vote against the name change? We only needed 3 more to win the battle to save Dixie State. Ipson is in leadership, he says he is powerful. We needed his help.

■Facts:

︎Don Ipson SPONSORED HB278 which started the DIXIE STATE NAME CHANGE. This is on record and this is filed with the Utah Legislature.  

︎I was told that Ipson was “just a Senate Floor Sponsor” on HB278, and that the floor sponsor “doesn’t do much, if anything”.  

So, to verify…..

︎I emailed 40 legislators yesterday to see exactly what a floor sponsor does if they are a Senator who co-sponsors a bill with a Representative who sponsors a House-initiated bill. 

Here are a few responses I received from legislators, there were many…

Hi Ilene,

Good question. The floor sponsor is important as they act as the sponsor in their own chamber. So the chief sponsor generally is the lead on the bill and must get it through the chamber in which they serve. In the second chamber, more often than not, the chief sponsor will present the bill in the second committee, although the floor sponsor can do that as well. Then, it is up to the floor sponsor to pass the bill through their chamber through floor debate and voting. So it is more than just a formality, and sometimes the floor sponsor will have significant influence in the bill itself, particularly if there are amendments that must get made to get a bill through their chamber. Hopefully that’s helpful!

Senator Nate Blouin

A bill must pass both chambers. A floor sponsor (House or Senate) is responsible for presenting and debating the bill on the floor of the respective opposite chamber. It is hardly a mere formality – if you have a weak floor sponsor your bill may not pass.

Senator Curtis Bramble

The Senate sponsor runs the bill when it gets to the Senate floor. The same happens when a senate bill gets to the House floor. It’s important and is not just a formality. 

Rep. Carl Albrecht

A bill must pass both chambers. A floor sponsor (House or Senate) is responsible for presenting and debating the bill on the floor of the respective opposite chamber. It is hardly a mere formality – if you have a weak floor sponsor your bill may not pass.

Rep. Marsha Judkins

There are many reasons I am supporting CHAD BENNION.  The reason above are just a few of them.

Publisher’s note – If the Republican Party had any enforceable ethics, Ipson and other RINOS would have been removed from the party long ago for their dismal failure to represent the UTGOP Platform and the U.S. and Utah Constitutions, and their constituents. Our elected State Senators have a lifetime score of 45% (Ipsom, the lowest of all) to 47% (Vickers), while our House representatives have a combined grade of 71%.

HD72 Joseph Elison (R) 2023 Session – 80%    Lifetime Score – 80%  

HD73 Colin W. Jack (R) 2023 Session – 71%    Lifetime Score – 71%  

HD74 R. Neil Walter (R)  2023 Session – 68%    Lifetime Score – 68% 

HD75 Walt Brooks (R)  2023 Session – 76%    Lifetime Score – 64% 

These figures are gathered from the only organization in Utah that scores our officials by their adherence to the guidelines of the Constitution of our nation and state: UtahGrassroots.org  You can read my full report by following the link at the beginning of this article,