SB54
On March 5, I attended the Republican caucus meeting for Utah House District 39 at West Jordan High School. I arrived around 6:15 pm to find a very long line for people who had preregistered. It took me almost 20 minutes to get to the table where very kind and patient volunteers were checking registration and distributing the wristbands that showed eligibility to vote. Then I helped my octogenarian parents find the end of the line for the people who had not previously registered. I eventually left them in their line, relieved that someone had found a chair for my mom to sit on while my dad waited in the line. I left them because it was after 7:00, and the precinct meetings were scheduled to begin at 7:00. They were among the 200 or more people who had not been able to register and were still waiting in the two different lines.
In my precinct, one mom had brought her baby. All of the desks were filled. Some people had to stand. One man had brought his wife’s voter ID card and a photocopy of her drivers license because she was not able to attend due to poor health, but still wanted to participate in the presidential preference poll and caucus. He ended up leaving early because his wife called and needed him at home. Soon after the meeting started, a mom poked her head in the door and frantically asked the chair to wait on the voting because her husband and kids were still in the line.
While I was waiting with my parents in their line, I listened as one couple told me they almost didn’t come in because they couldn’t find a parking spot near the school and the wife had mobility issues.
If every registered Republican in HD39 had tried to participate in the caucus meeting at West Jordan High School, there would have been no way to accommodate all of us. Some precincts, like mine were pretty crowded as it was. There are registered Republican voters that want to participate in their caucus but cannot for a variety of reasons such as work, transportation, health, no babysitter, and mobility issues. My nephew told me that the reason he and his wife were able to participate is because my husband took one of our kids to their house to babysit for them. My nephew is now his precinct chair.
We live in a democratic republic. It is through a democratic process that we elect our representatives that vote for us on budget and legislation issues. The caucus is meant to be part of the democracy piece where community members democratically elect their neighbors to represent them in choosing their party’s candidates at the state and county conventions. The fact that many caucus meetings are held in facilities that are not large enough to accommodate all or even a third of a district’s registered party members shows that it is meant to be somewhat exclusionary. A democratic republic makes sense to me. It is an efficient way to run government. I take both parts very seriously, the democratic and the republic. I want everyone who wants to participate in the selection of their party’s candidates to be able to participate.
Before SB54 was signed into law in 2014, Utah was the only state that chose candidates exclusively with the caucus system. This bill allowed candidates to gather signatures in order to get on a primary ballot. In 2016, the first year when candidates could use this route to a primary, three republican candidates that opted to get on the ballot this way were Mike Lee for senator, Gary Herbert for governor, and Adam Gardiner for Utah State House.
I am running for the Utah State House Of Representatives because I want to represent the people of HD39. The people of HD39 deserve a choice in their Republican candidate for legislator even if they were not able to participate in caucus. I chose to gather signatures because everyone deserves a choice. Our democratic republic provides the best representation when people participate. Gathering signatures to ensure that I will be on a Republican primary ballot allows more people to participate in choosing their candidate. The Republican Party is a party by the people and for the people. Let the people cast their votes in a primary.
