Utah ballot measure Amendment B fails, according to AP projection

SALT LAKE CITY — A proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the percentage of votes needed for tax-based citizen-led initiatives has failed, the Associated Press projects.

Votes against Amendment B currently edge votes for Amendment B, 62% to 38%, according to preliminary Utah election results updated at 10 p.m. The results are based on more than 595,000 votes counted so far, and haven't changed much since the first results were released.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after 9:30 p.m.

"People saw through the smoke and mirrors, and the slander, and smears, and personal insults and attacks," Phil Lyman, a former state legislator and vocal opponent of the measure, wrote on social media.

Amendment B called for raising the requirement for tax-related initiatives from a simple majority to 60%. It became one of the more controversial items during Utah's election cycle this year.

Proponents said it was important to keep taxes low, while opponents said it would give the Utah Legislature more power over citizen-led initiatives.

Utahns Protecting Our Constitution spent over $3 million fighting the amendment, with a lot of that money coming from out-of-state donors. The campaign was still "entirely driven by Utah families and taxpayers," said Scott Cuthbertson, the group's spokesperson.

"People nationwide are watching because it's startling to see a legislature seek to strip constitutional rights from its citizens," he said.

Groups like the Alliance for Better Utah and Elevate Utah also opposed it, urging voters to reject it.

The Utah Taxpayer Association, joined by a few Republican lawmakers last month, countered what they said were "false and misleading claims" against the amendment, pointing out it only applied to tax-related measures.

"It addresses a simple principle: If you want to raise your neighbors' taxes, you should have broad support from your neighbors," said Rep. Fillmore Lincoln, R-South Jordan, in a statement last month. "This is a reasonable safeguard that protects taxpayers while keeping the final decision exactly where it belongs, with Utah voters."

Noble Predictive Insights released a poll last week that found Utahns leaned against the proposal.

All election results aren't final until the state's board of canvassers votes to certify election results when they meet on Nov. 23.

Click here for more U.S. and Utah election results.

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