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Ken Ivory, sponsor of Utah's school book ban law, loses seat to Democrat Drew Howells

8h

Summary

  • Utah state Representative Ken Ivory, who sponsored the state's sweeping school book ban law, lost his seat to Democrat Drew Howells, who led with 58.11% of the vote.
  • Ivory sponsored the sensitive materials law two years ago; it bans a book from all Utah public schools if three districts, or two districts and five charter schools, deem it indecent.
  • The law took effect on July 1, 2024, applied retroactively, and 44 books have since been banned statewide; districts must destroy all copies of banned titles.
  • Nearly all of the statewide bans were driven by two districts, Davis and Washington County.
  • Once a title is banned, districts such as Salt Lake City's deposit the copies into a secure shredder.

Reactions

  • Ken Ivory acknowledged his defeat in a Facebook post after losing the race to Drew Howells.
  • At an August 2024 news conference, Ivory celebrated the first statewide removal list, calling it a 'bright day' for Utah.
  • Ivory said the law directs schools to prioritize 'protecting children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography'; he did not respond to later requests for comment.
  • Ivory cited book ban advocate Brooke Stephens' reviews in communications with constituents, according to email records.
  • Brooke Stephens, a leader in Utah Parents United, told Ivory that parents, not school boards and librarians, decide by Utah law what is appropriate for their children.

Timeline newest first

  1. Ken Ivory, the Utah state representative who sponsored the state's sweeping school book ban law, lost his race to Democrat Drew Howells, who secured 58.11% of the vote.
  2. Ken Ivory acknowledged his election defeat in a Facebook post.
  3. A total of 44 books have been banned from all Utah public schools, and districts must destroy all copies of banned titles.
  4. In August 2024, Utah released its first list of 13 titles to remove from schools statewide, and Ken Ivory celebrated it at a news conference as a 'bright day' for Utah.
  5. Utah's sensitive materials law took effect on July 1, 2024, applying retroactively so districts reevaluated books they had already banned under the new state criteria.
  6. Utah Senator Todd Weiler, the law's Senate sponsor, was not up for reelection, having won a four-year term in November 2024.

Sources newest first

  • Utah voters just ousted the Republican representative behind the state’s sweeping school book ban lawsltrib.com· 8h

    Utah state representative Ken Ivory, who sponsored the state's sweeping school book ban law, lost his race to Democrat Drew Howells, who led with 58.11% of the vote, and Ivory conceded in a Facebook post. The law has driven 44 books from all Utah public schools, where districts must destroy the copies.

Background newest first

  • Who is David Chappell? Democrat flips Utah House seat in Provoksl.com· 3d

    KSL.com profiles David Chappell, the 27-year-old queer Democratic Socialist engineer who defeated Rep. Norm Thurston to flip Utah House District 62 in Provo, part of a blue wave that cost Republicans their House supermajority. Chappell said he wasn't expecting the win and wants to focus on housing, the Great Salt Lake, and grocery costs; Thurston said the district was long considered safe and may run again in 2028.

  • How wild was the 2026 election? Utah County elected a Democratic Socialist. Here’s how it happened.sltrib.com· 3d

    A Salt Lake Tribune article recounts how 27-year-old civil engineer David Chappell, a self-described Democratic Socialists of America member who modeled his campaign on Zohran Mamdani, upset 12-year Republican incumbent Norm Thurston in heavily Republican Utah House District 62, making him the first Democrat to represent Utah County in the Legislature since 1996. Chappell led by 5.5 points with too few ballots left to close the gap, and says he'll push free school meals first this session, while Thurston credits a blue wave along the Wasatch Front and may run again in 2028.

  • Republicans could lose their supermajority in the Utah Legislature. Here’s what has to happen.sltrib.com· 9d

    The Salt Lake Tribune reports that unofficial returns show 13 Republican Utah House incumbents and one GOP senator trailing, with Democratic and unaffiliated candidates ahead in races from Cache County to Utah County; if Republicans lose more than 11 House seats, they would fall from a two-thirds supermajority to a simple majority for the first time since 1992. The article says the GOP will likely keep its Utah Senate supermajority despite Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore trailing Shana Anderson in Senate District 19.