Salt Lake Tribune: Utah GOP Votes to Reform Caucus System

Count My Vote organizers: Too little; too late

Game on!

Even as the first Utah citizens lined up at Gallivan Square on Saturday to affix their signatures to the Count My Vote (CMV) citizens initiative petition, we learn from the Salt Lake Tribune that Utah Republican Party Central Committee (URPCC)  aparatchiks were meeting up in Fillmore, in a last ditch effort to thwart the "pro-democracy" CMV juggernaut:

Fillmore • As petitioners launched efforts Saturday to gather signatures to replace party caucuses with direct primaries, Republican leaders huddled in a special meeting to approve overwhelmingly some reforms of the old system — hoping that may be enough to save it.

From the Utah GOP website, we've gleaned Saturday's "emergency" meeting agenda, which these desperate GOP party insiders reportedly "adopted," "hook, line and sinker":

Proposed Caucus Night Rules Resolutions submitted by the Caucus Committee

1. Resolution to Improve the Language of the Republican Party's System of Nominating Candidates
2. Resolution to Improve the Republican Party Neighborhood Caucus Election Experience by Recommending an optional Neighborhood Meet and Greet with Candidates
3. Resolution to Improve the Republican Neighborhood Caucus Election Check-In Process
4. Resolution to Improve the Republican Neighborhood Caucus Elections by Creating An Online Registration Process
5. Resolution to Improve the Party Neighborhood Caucus Election Experience by Recommending to Counties and Precincts a Voting Method for Neighborhood Caucus Elections
6. Resolution to Allow Same-Day Balloting at Republican Neighborhood Caucus Election Meetings
7. Resolution on Participation by Individuals Engaged in Out of State Military and Religious Service at Neighborhood Caucus Elections

Despite the eleventh hour URPCC gymnastics, CMV organizers quite rightfully label these desperate maneuverings "a day late and a dollar short", according to the Salt Lake Tribune:

But leaders of Count My Vote — led by such people as former GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt and former democratic first lady Norma Matheson — say the GOP reforms made Saturday are too little, too late to stop their efforts.
"It doesn’t alter our desire to proceed," said Rich McKeown, executive co-director of the group, who noted that captains began gathering signatures Saturday after it finished required hearings and gained state approval for its forms.

You can read the full Salt Lake Tribune story here:

• Utah GOP votes to reform caucus system

We can't blame CMV organizers for continuing to move forward, inasmuch as they've already devoted substantial effort, time and treasure to readying their petition for general circulation, while CMV opponents have dithered and procrastinated for far too long. 

Compounding the Utah GOP's problems, even though these above resolutions were approved in principle, the devil's in the details, and nobody  in the URPCC hierarchy seems to have the faintest clue how most of these "approved" resolutions would (or could) be "specifically" implemented, or so the Trib reports.

But cutting to the chase, O Gentle Ones, we're delighted to provide a link which provides the first glimpse of how YOU can sign the petition, whilst the Utah GOP meanwhile flails away in its continuing quest to oppose the fundamental democratic concept of  "One Citizen; One Vote."  Now that CMV is now collecting signatures, click this link "to be contacted about where and when you can sign the initiative petition":

• Count My Vote - Sign the Petition

We have to candidly confess that we can't recall a time in Utah politics when Utah's "ruling" party has exhibited such clumsy and desperate disarray. Refreshing, ainnit?

Howbout you?