The evidence is irrefutable. Utah’s caucus/convention system does not reflect the will of the people.
The results of Tuesday’s Republican primary should clearly prove to Utahns, once and for all, that the state’s caucus/convention nominating system simply does not work — that is, if the goal is to select candidates that the majority of Utah Republicans will want to support. Tuesday’s results should also forestall any efforts to do away with the alternate path for candidates to get on the ballot by gathering signatures (provided for by SB54, which was signed into law in 2014).
Here is why:
Gov. Spencer J. Cox was booed at the state nominating convention in April and received only 32.46% of the votes of the state delegates in attendance. Phil Lyman, on the other hand, received 67.54% of the votes. But in Tuesday’s primary, open to all registered Republican voters in the state, Cox beat Lyman 56.1% to 43.9% (with 84% of the votes in).
Likewise, U.S. Senate candidate John Curtis received only 30.26% of the votes at convention to Trent Staggs’ 69.74%, and yet preliminary results in the primary election show Curtis beat Staggs 49.87% to 31.07%.
Similarly, attorney general candidate Derek Brown, who came in dead last at convention, handily won the primary.
And 1st Congressional District incumbent Rep. Blake Moore, who received only 45.14% of the state delegate votes at convention to Paul Miller’s 54.86%, beat Miller by a huge margin in the primary — 72% to 28% as of the time this was written.
Others in past years who have lost at convention but who have gone on to win the primary include Gov. Gary Herbert, Gov. Mike Leavitt and Sen. Mitt Romney. Many of these ended up winning their respective races by wide margins, but would not even have been on the ballot at all but for the fact that they gathered signatures. (Incidentally, even candidates like Sen. Mike Lee who are strong supporters of the caucus/convention system gather signatures, if only as a precaution.)
Proponents of the caucus/convention system argue that it “actively fosters democratic engagement,” and yet turnout at the neighborhood caucus meetings is notoriously low. According to KSL, only about 9.36% of active, registered Republicans in the state attended their neighborhood caucuses this year. That means that less than 10% of voters had a voice in selecting the state delegates who would in turn select the party’s nominees at the state convention.
Opponents of the system argue that the caucus system actually disenfranchises large numbers of party members — those with young children who lack child care, the elderly, the disabled, those serving in the military or those with work obligations that make it impossible for them to attend the neighborhood caucus meetings. Furthermore, those who are elected as state or county delegates at these caucus meetings have traditionally tended to be far more extreme in their political views than most Utah voters, as evidenced by the numbers cited above.
When my husband and I attended our neighborhood caucus this year, we were disheartened to see that fewer than 25 people were there. I was voted in as a state delegate and my husband as a county delegate. I promised those in my caucus that I would listen to their ideas and concerns and do my best to represent them. I invited them to reach out to me at any time. I heard from only one person.
I took my responsibility very seriously and spent many hours researching the positions of the various candidates; attending town halls, cottage meetings and debates; and having one-on-one conversations with those who were running for office. I felt well prepared to participate in the state convention.
To say that the convention was a surreal experience would be putting it kindly. Initially, I felt excited and honored to be there — in the room where it was happening, so to speak. But as the day dragged on (and on and on), I became increasingly uncomfortable. Because of some technological glitches and ridiculously long lines for credentialing, the meeting started three hours late and was then held up by dozens of people apparently wanting their 15 minutes of fame at the microphone, some of whom were objecting to small points of order and others who were demanding paper ballots for the voting — a completely unrealistic request given the nearly 4,000 voting delegates, and one which would have extended the voting and counting of votes (over multiple rounds) well beyond the nearly 15 hours we were already there. Most distressing of all, though, was the conduct of some of the delegates who were loud, rude and sometimes crude. The immature, raucous booing of the more moderate candidates made me embarrassed to be there. It soon became clear that a large number of the delegates wanted only one thing in their candidates — blind loyalty to Trump. I left (at nearly midnight, when, contractually, we had to be out of the Salt Palace despite the fact that we hadn’t made it even two-thirds of the way through the agenda) feeling real despair. What had become of my party? What had become of my state?
Thankfully, the results of Tuesday’s primary restored my faith in both to a degree. I do believe that most voters are thoughtful, intelligent and compassionate. Most do put country over party and principles over partisanship. One thing that is crystal clear, though, is that the caucus/convention system does not serve our state well. It’s time to find a new way forward. Please join me in contacting the Utah Republican Party leadership and letting them know that a direct primary would better serve the voters of Utah and that, at the very least, the alternate route to the ballot must be preserved.
Sharlee Mullins Glenn is an author, advocate and engaged citizen. She sits on several boards and volunteers for a number of humanitarian organizations. She currently serves as a Republican state delegate.