Salt Lake Tribune Op-Ed: ‘Count My Vote’ Is The Elixer for Utah’s Narrow-Interest Politics

Keep your eyes on the ball, O Gentle Ones. Achieving full participatory democracy is a palpable possibility -- even in Utah -- as David Irvine so eloquently reminds us this morning

We all learn in high school civics classes that government of, by and for the people means that when a majority of the voters don’t like the policies of our elected officers, we can replace them via the ballot box. That rosy theory quickly disintegrates, courtesy of two anti-majoritarian subversions of the Lincolnian ideal.
The first is gerrymandered congressional and legislative districts that have made 85 percent of congressional and legislative districts (in Utah) non-competitive, single-party districts; where what happens in November is more of a coronation than election, because the dominant-party candidate will nearly always win (Rep. Jim Matheson is a unique exception).
Second is the caucus/convention system with which Utah is saddled, and which turns the real decisions about who will be elected over to fewer than 1 percent of our 2 million voters. The rest of Utah voters are then stuck with those decisions.

David Irvine Op-ed, Salt Lake Tribune
Oped: ‘Count My Vote’ is the elixer for Utah’s narrow-interest politics
October 19, 2013

Delegates, party insiders, incumbents, and those who fear majority rule are not about to turn over control of who gets elected to the electorate at large. Utahns will be treated to a year’s worth of stories about the sky falling. Opposition will be framed in terms of preserving grassroots democracy, or keeping politics from becoming a rich man’s game. But the most insidious argument of all is this: "Delegates spend the time to become better informed about the candidates than anyone else."
Run for the exits when you hear that one.
What it really means is, "We’re doing you a favor by substituting our judgment and political goals for yours; we know better than you, and you’re not to be trusted to vote wisely." And that, frankly, is a crock.

David Irvine Op-ed, Salt Lake Tribune
Oped: ‘Count My Vote’ is the elixer for Utah’s narrow-interest politics
October 19, 2013

Humdinger of an Guest Op-ed piece in Saturday's Tribune, by Salt Lake Attorney and former 4-term GOP Utah House Representative David Irvine:

• Oped: ‘Count My Vote’ is the elixer for Utah’s narrow-interest politics

Even in Utah?

As the democracy-minded folks from Count My Vote prepare to take their citizens initiative petition to the streets, and Utah lumpencitizens stand on the brink of prying the Utah political nomination process from extremist factions like the Eagle Forum, the Sutherland Institute and their fellow radical anti-democracy ilk, these opponents of direct primary democracy will be working like demons to subvert the fundamental principle of "one man, one vote," in their effort to hijack the public discussion and hoodwink the lumpencitizens with the usual self-serving, spam-style disinformation.

Keep your eyes on the ball, O Gentle Ones. Achieving full participatory democracy is a palpable possibility -- even in Utah -- as David Irvine so eloquently reminds us this morning.