During a recent event at Weber State University, Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox, who oversees all elections in Utah, spoke about the differences between the caucus system and a direct primary election, and proposed policy changes currently making its way through the Legislature that could affect elections in Utah.
“I really like the caucus,” Cox shared. “As a delegate I’ve had sitting Senators in my living room.”
Since the 1800s Utah has used the caucus system to choose its candidates for all national, state and county positions. Neighbors meet together as precincts to choose delegates. These delegates work to represent their precinct's interests and ideas, research and interview potential candidates, and ultimately choose candidates during their party’s convention by casting 60% of the votes for one of the candidates. Because of the nature of the caucus system, candidates must work very hard to reach out and care about every delegate.
Cox explained that the current caucus system requires candidates to care about each delegate, knock on their doors, sit in their homes and work for each vote. This intimate part of the campaign will be lost under a direct primary system, a selection process being pushed forward and known as the Count My Vote initiative, an initiative that is gaining traction and is confident will have the needed signature to be placed on the ballot this November.
With a direct primary, elections become a full-blown contest to see who has more money and greater name recognition. Negative campaign ads, especially television advertisements, grow out of control as each candidate tries to get this name more ingrained into voters’ minds. This is because candidates no longer need to vie for representing delegates, but instead to the mass of voters.
Because individual delegates would no longer exist in a direct primary election system, Cox warned that most of the state’s issues would be ignored as candidates turned their backs on less populated areas and focused, instead, on the more elite counties with more voters.
“There is a reason Utah is a fly over state” during presidential campaigns, Cox said. This is because everyone knows how Utah will vote and it is not worth the candidate’s time to stop here. Cox believes the Count My Vote initiative will create “fly over counties” with most of rural Utah being ignored.
As an official elected from rural Sanpete County, Cox worries about the interests of his town, his city, his precinct never being heard by candidates, because they would never have a need to campaign in his, and similar small town in Utah. With a direct primary, “candidates would only campaign in three, maybe four counties” where the majority of the voter live.
Another issue with a direct primary is the exorbitant cost and the diminishing quality of the candidates. While it is easy to get onto the ballot under a primary election selection system, those with more money to spend to get their name out are those that win. Very quickly, especially in hot debated areas, these elections become so big and costly that most candidates can’t compete. Research clearly shows a direct correlation between money spent and elections won.
Cox gave the example of Utah’s Senator Mike Lee. The only way Lee was able to win his election in 2010, was because of the caucus system. Had Utah had a direct primary, Senator Bob Bennett would have easily reclaimed his seat because of his name recognition and because he had more money to easily out campaign Lee.
“Senator Lee didn’t even come out of the caucus with the majority of the votes, Tim Bridgewater did,” Cox explained. “The only way Lee was able to compete and win was in big part because of Utah’s caucus system.”
Take away the caucus system and Utah will lose some of the best candidates, humble people who want to run because they love Utah and not because they want power. “You have to get into people’s living rooms, you have to knock on people’s doors,” candidates should care about getting to know what people really care about, Cox said. Those who are pushing for the Count My Vote initiative, don’t want to do the work, they don’t want to knock on doors. They want to sit back, spend money and basically buy the election.
Another push of the Count My Vote idea is that a direct primary would increase voter turnout in a state where turnout is embarrassingly low. However, research again shows that voter turnout is not tied to the election system, but rather whether there is a dominant party within a state. Cox pointed to other states, with direct primary elections and a predominant party that has just as low a turnout as the State of Utah.
Nonprofit Vote, a nonpartisan group that works to encourage voter turnout, released statistics from the 2012 presidential election that showed 12 states with a lower voter turnout than Utah, including California and Texas, all with predominate parties and a direct primary selection process.
Whenever there is a predominant party, most voters don’t go to the polls. This is because they already know what the outcome will be because of the political environment in their state. Here in Utah, most know that regardless of who they vote for, the winner will most likely be a Republican candidate, and so they don’t bother going out to vote. Changing the system won’t increase voter turnout, because the political environment will remain the same.
Cox does admit, that “there are problems with the caucus. There are definite problems in every selection process.”
One concern of the Count My Vote initiative is the many individuals who are unable to attend caucus meetings because of other commitments and restrictions beyond their control. In a video clip on the Count My Vote website, Utah voter and US military member, Eric Eriacher, shared his frustration with the current caucus system.
“I do not have a voice in that caucus system,” said Eriacher. “I can’t go to those meetings many of those times. Many of those times I’ve been overseas, in training. Many of those things have kept me from that opportunity.”
In a similar clip, Amanda, shared similar frustrations felt by some of Utah’s parents. “Because I am a busy mom, I find it difficult, if not impossible, to attend caucus meetings. I simply cannot get a babysitter for three to four hours on a school night.”
These, add other concerns are being addressed by legislation currently making its way through the Utah Senate and House of Representatives. This includes SB54, sponsored by Senator Curtis S. Bramble, R - Provo.
SB54, would require caucuses, from both parties, to provide a way for registered voters to cast their votes for delegates via absentee ballot for voters who to be part of the process, but are unable to be physically present. It would also require backup delegates be chosen in case a delegate cannot attend the party convention.
SB54 would require candidates that did not receive 65% of delegate votes at the convention to square off at a primary. This is up from the current 60% standard. SB54 would also open all primary elections to non-affiliated voters. Right now only the Democrat primary is open to all voters.
Cox believes SB54 is a good compromise between the two ideas and hope enough talks from both sides will help them come to a solution that helps everyone and make Utah’s election system stronger. Regardless of which selection system is in place, Cox believes it ultimately comes down to the voter taking personal responsibility. “It’s people who want to get in involved, getting involved.”
