Caucuses are coming! Caucuses fall on St. Patrick’s Day this year, Tuesday, March 17, so consider celebrating by meeting up with your neighbors at your local caucus. You can choose from Democratic, Republican and, new this year, the Forward Party caucuses, so there’s something for everyone — even independents! You can keep your independent status and attend the Democratic or Forward Party caucuses.
If you’ve never attended a caucus meeting before, it can feel daunting and maybe even a little scary, but my experience is that it’s really a hope-affirming event. Why? Because you will see people you already know — your neighbors — and you will get to know people who may become friends because you are people who care, who bother to show up, who want the best for your community and who are willing to get out of your comfort zones to ensure that caucuses really represent as many people as possible.
I was in my 20s when I attended my first caucus meeting back in the early 1990s. I was pleasantly surprised by what I experienced there. It felt grassroots — people coming together and willing to work hard to choose the best candidates. I was elected as a delegate to the Weber County convention, and I was impressed by how diligently the delegates worked to vet the candidates. It was really gratifying to get to speak to candidates face-to-face and have the chance to compare notes on what candidates’ positions were on different issues. I felt like what I did mattered — and it did!
It matters because in Utah, the caucuses are where delegates are selected. Delegates then go on to select the candidates who will appear in the primary in June.
While many have objections to the caucus system — and many of those objections are completely valid because it is not a perfect system — it IS the system that we have, so we must work with it for the time being. For that system to have the best results, it requires participation from as many people as possible. This is why I encourage you to save the St. Patrick’s Day celebration and go party with your political party instead!
To learn what your precinct and caucus location is, please visit the Precinct Portal. St. Patrick would be proud!
Sylvia Newman
Ogden