🚨BREAKING: A Trump-backed, GOP effort to repeal a Utah law that could give Democrats one extra U.S. House seat appears to be unraveling after county officials flagged thousands of potentially invalid and fraudulent petition signatures.

🚨BREAKING: A Trump-backed, GOP effort to repeal a Utah law that could give Democrats one extra U.S. House seat appears to be unraveling after county officials flagged thousands of potentially invalid and fraudulent petition signatures.

**Trump-Backed GOP Bid to Repeal Utah Anti-Gerrymandering Law Falters Amid Fraud Allegations**

A high-profile Republican effort in Utah to repeal a state law that could lead to Democrats winning an additional U.S. House seat appears to be collapsing as election officials flag widespread problems with petition signatures. ([Democracy Docket][1])

The campaign, backed by national GOP figures including Donald Trump and aligned with outside groups, sought to overturn **Proposition 4**—a 2018 voter-approved measure that created an independent redistricting commission to draw fair legislative and congressional maps. ([Democracy Docket][1]) Repealing the law would have potentially helped Republicans maintain control of Utah’s congressional delegation by preventing the creation of a Democratic-leaning district.

But county clerks across Utah have identified **thousands of potentially invalid or fraudulent signatures** on petitions submitted to qualify the repeal for the 2026 ballot. Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson, a Republican, described numerous cases where signatures appeared fabricated or belonged to people who said they never signed. Some names were even entered multiple times or tied to nonexistent addresses, leading officials to refer several packets for criminal investigation.

The campaign’s primary contractor, a petition-gathering firm hired for more than $4 million, was terminated after the allegations surfaced. National conservative figures had promoted the signature drive, but the effort still fell far short of the roughly 140,000 valid signatures needed by the mid-February deadline.

Organizers acknowledge irregularities but insist they removed problematic workers and are cooperating with authorities, saying they expected the process to be scrutinized.

With valid signatures lagging and mounting questions over the integrity of the petition drive, the repeal effort is now widely seen as unlikely to qualify for Utah’s November ballot—marking a significant setback for Republicans trying to undo a law designed to curb partisan gerrymandering.