Utah

Politics

:See: List of Utah Governors, Utah State Senate, and Utah State House of Representatives

Related Topics:
List of Utah Governors - Utah State Senate - Utah State House of Representatives

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In large part due to the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Utah is one of the most conservative and Republican states in the nation. Practicing Mormons comprise about 60% of the population of Utah according to recent studies (with others being of a Mormon background but not practicing), yet they control well over 90% of elected political offices in the state. The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won every county in the state and Utah gave him his largest margin of victory of any state. He won the state's 5 electoral votes by an overwhelming margin of 46 percentage points with 71.5% of the vote.

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Utah constitution

The constitution of Utah was enacted in 1895. Notably, the constitution outlawed polygamy and continued the territorial practice of women's suffrage. Full text of the Utah state constitution.

Related Topics:
Constitution - 1895 - Polygamy - Suffrage

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Amendments

2004 was the first time that the state constitution was amended since its inception.http://elections.utah.gov/ConstitutionalAmendments.htm Three amendments were put on the Utah election ballot: Amendment 1 would allow the state legislature to convene special sessions to impeach authority, Amendment 2 would allow state or public institutions of higher learning to acquire ownership interest in private businesses in exchange for intellectual property rights that are developed by those institutions, and Amendment 3 defined marriage as a civil union between one man and one woman and provided no legal recognition for other forms of civil unions.

Related Topics:
2004 - Amended - Ballot - Impeach - Amendment 3 - Marriage - Civil union

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All three amendments passed and went into effect on January 1, 2005.

Related Topics:
January 1 - 2005

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