The Independent View: UTAH's Count My Vote Campaign

Why Change Utah's Election System?

The Count My Vote Campaign give the following reasons Utah should change their voting process:

Utah's Caucus System Hinders Participation

•Utah's historically high rate of voter participation has declined in recent decades.

•From 1960 to 1998, Utah's turnout was always above the national average. Since 1998, Utah's turnout has been near or below the national average.

•In 1960, over 78% of Utah voters went to the polls. In 2012, only 51% of Utah's voting age population cast a ballot, ranking Utah 39th nationally in voter turnout.

Utah's Caucus System is the Most Restrictive System in the Nation

•Utah is one of only a few states that still use a convention.

•Of the states that still use a convention, Utah has the highest barrier for candidates - 40% of party delegates' votes (Colorado - 30%, Connecticut - 15%, New Mexico 20%, North Dakota - endorsement only).

•Utah is the only state in which a political party is allowed to preclude a primary election for statewide or Congressional offices.

Utah's Caucus System is Exclusionary and Unfair

•Party delegates are elected at party caucus meetings held once every 2 years.

•Attending this single meeting in person is the only way voters can choose a delegate.

•Utah voters who are out of town, sick, have to work, cannot leave children, or are serving in the military are excluded.

•Groups such as women and younger voters are marginalized and disenfranchised.

Utah's Caucus System is Least Accountable to Utah Voters

•Utah's elected leaders are more concerned with making policies supported by party delegates than policies supported by Utah voters.

•Party delegates and activists have different priorities than voters and do not represent the views of average Utah citizen.

•Utah's system gives the most power and influence to those with the most extreme views.

Romney backs effort to end nominating conventions in Utah.

The Count My Vote campaign must collect almost 102,000 valid signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot.

But Utah’s legislature, which conservatives control by a wide margin, is working on its own legislation that would circumvent the ballot initiative. A proposal sponsored by Sen. Curt Bramble would allow convention nominating processes to continue, with minor changes. Delegates would be allowed to vote by absentee ballot, and candidates would have to get 65 percent of the vote to avoid a primary; the higher threshold, the thinking goes, would ensure more primary elections.

Bramble’s legislation has passed the Senate and awaits House action. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) has left open the option to veto the bill.

Meanwhile, opponents of the Count My Vote initiative have challenged the validity of the signatures supporters have collected. Protect Our Neighborhood Elections, the rival group that supports the current convention system, filed a complaint last week with the lieutenant governor’s office that seeks to invalidate many of the signatures already collected.

CLICK HERE for more information about Count My Vote initiative.

CLICK HERE for more information about Protect Our Neighborhood Elections.