ST. GEORGE — “Come caucus with us” has been the slogan of the Washington County Republican Party since Lesa Sandberg became the party chair last April and has been repeated more and more as the day of the Republican caucus approaches.
For Washington County Republicans, caucus night is this Tuesday. County Democrats will meet March 22.
But just what exactly is the caucus and what is its relation to local and state politics?
“Caucus is how Utah selects its primary candidates,” Sandberg said in an interview with St. George News Friday.
More specifically, it is how political parties in Utah select the candidate they want on the November ballot. The process starts at the caucus level which is made up of numerous precincts made up of party members at the neighborhood level.
On Tuesday night the precincts will meet at various locations to elect precincts officers for a two year span, as well as delegates. These delegates will go on to represent their neighbors at their party’s county and state conventions. Prior to the conventions however, candidates seeking to gain the party’s nomination meet with party delegates in hopes securing their votes come convention time.
“If you want a say in how your candidate is selected, than you go to caucus and you elect the delegate that is going to best represent you as they select our candidates,” Sandberg said.
The caucus-convention system in Utah is considered by supporters as one of the best ways to keep political candidates and politicians close to the people since they must court the delegates in hopes of securing the party nomination. Going through the delegates has also been considered a way to lessen special interest influence and money in elections as candidates would be more beholden to those who could win them the party nomination versus who could fatten up their campaign funds the most.
Utah used the caucus-convention system exclusively until 2016 when a new law allowing an alternative path to the ballot took effect. Candidates who wish to skip the caucus-convention route to the ballot can do so by gathering a set amount of signatures needed for the specific office they are seeking.
Though Sandberg said she doesn’t begrudge anyone taking the signature path to the ballot, it “doesn’t allow for citizen vetting.” It also allows for the potential of there being multiple candidates of the same party on a ballot rather than the one supported by the party proper.
While in convention, candidates must gain a threshold of 60% or higher of the delegate vote to clinch the nomination. If that doesn’t happen, candidates who received the lower votes are eliminated until someone reaches the required threshold. If a threshold still isn’t reached between the last two candidates, then a primary election is held.
A ballot saturated by same-party candidates won’t yield results Sandberg considers representative of the people. The more candidates there are, the more potential for a split vote with a greatly reduced majority selecting the winner. For example, a single Republican running for a legislative seat may garner 70% or more on the vote, while a plurality of Republican candidates for the same office could chop that majority way down.
“That’s not representation,” Sandberg said. “The more (same-party) candidates there are, the more diluted the representation becomes.”
An objection to the state’s caucus system expressed by detractors are claims that the caucus system produces fringe candidates. It is a point Sandberg said is “probably right” to a point due to the low numbers of people who have attended caucus meetings on the past.
“I think that’s the biggest reason people have become apathetic toward the caucus convention system,” she said. “Because they have felt like the fringes have been the ones controlling what happens at caucus and convention. They’re probably right because the people in the middle of those fringes aren’t going (to caucus).”
This is one of the reasons Sandberg seeks to get as many county Republicans involved in the caucus system as possible this year.
“If you don’t show up, it may be people on the fringes being the only ones getting elected,” she said.
Bringing more people out is also considered a way to “preserve and protect” the state’s caucus system.
“Come let your voices be heard,” Sandberg said. “Make sure its not just the fringes that are controlling things. We want everyone to have a say.”
With the boundaries of state and federal-level offices getting redrawn recently, local precinct boundaries have also been redrawn as a result. Redrawn precinct and caucus locations can be found through the Washington County Republican Party’s website here.
The caucus is held Tuesday with registration starting at 6 p.m. with the meeting proper beginning at 7 p.m.
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