If you Can't come to the Neighborhood Caucus Meeting, don't be left out

If you Can't come to the Neighborhood Caucus Meeting, don't be left out.

If someone can't make the caucus, for state wide races, they have as much as a month to tell their delegates, who represent them, who they are supporting. The nomination vote isn't that night.

If someone doesn't make their parent teacher night, does that mean they can't talk to the teachers all year long?

Candidates need volunteers. You can help the candidate you want to win. You can help with yard signs, flyers, phone calls, meetings, etc. 

We want neighbors discussing the best candidates and finding ways to improve this state and the nation. If the system is changed, we would be dropping off votes, but not meeting and discussing candidates and issues. That is what is wrong with Washington, D.C. They don’t listen to each other in a meeting. They watch from their offices. We need to change that, not perpetuate it.
 
  If we change to an open primary, we are apt to have "flyover" counties and communities. One of the reasons that candidates and elected officials campaign and visit the smaller counties is the Caucus / Convention System. 


I’m not sure if the Count My Vote / Buy My Vote groups has half-a-million or a million-and-a-half it will matter, people are still going to want fair elections. They’re still going to want the ability to have incumbents replaced. They’re still going to want people not to have to be rich or famous to get elected.

We already have a "bypass" system, filing as an unaffiliated candidate. A candidate can go straight to the general election ballot. Someone who doesn't think they can win if vetted by average citizens asking one on one questions can still run and spend their money. Why should they be a political party nominee if they are going to bypass their political party?

At only one time for 10 years in Utah’s history did the state depart from the Neighborhood Election, Caucus and Convention System. In 1937, a powerful democratic state senator convinced enough of the legislature to switch to an open primary. He had had two losses, a US Senate race and also for governor, because the majority of the convention delegates disagreed with his legislative voting record. But he was well known and had money.

Many at the time felt like an open primary was his ticket to the governorship, and he did win. But the change in the system only lasted for a decade. After public and media disillusionment, and even worse voter turnout, Utah restored the Caucus and Convention System. Why go back in time?  Can't we learn from the past?

We have a system that that does NOT favor the incumbent, the wealthy or the famous. This is a good thing, and should be preserved.

[Update, the Utah GOP has passed a very narrow Same Day Ballot system]. See:
http://fairelectionsutah.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-same-day-ballot-for-neighborhood.html