Utah Has 4 Election Days… Yes 4!

Fast Facts:

• The neighborhood caucus is a gathering on a Tuesday evening in early March. Caucus is held someplace nearby–a school building or even a precinct officer’s living room. At caucus, attendees elect precinct officers and delegates to represent the precinct at upcoming conventions.
• Party delegates (chosen at caucus) are entrusted with choosing party nominees and voting on party platforms. Delegates comprise less than .2% of the voters.
• Delegates tend to reflect the politics of whichever voters show up at caucus. To have a say, voters must attend caucus—which means finding out the time and location for their party’s meeting, making any necessary childcare arrangements, and getting there.
• If a precinct’s caucus doesn’t have enough turnout to select all representing delegates, delegates are appointed by local party leadership.
• When an elected official (like a state legislator) resigns, delegates from that party choose the replacement in a special election.
• Since most of Utah’s elected representatives are selected by delegate votes, they tend to be primarily accountable to those delegates rather than general voters.
• Show up! Participation will help the neighborhood caucus represent you.

Neighborhood Party Caucuses are where all political action in the State of Utah Begins.

Attendance at Utah’s caucuses has been low in recent years.

Women’s Work Utah aims to Reverse this trend.

What is a neighborhood party caucus?
A caucus is a local gathering of party members within a voting precinct. Generally, a precinct encompasses about 1,250 registered voters. Most neighborhood caucus meetings are attended by under 50 voters, and often there are only a handful of attendees. During caucus, party members in a specified area debate issues and choose delegates—people who are given authority to vote for candidates at a county or state convention. Caucuses are run by local party volunteers, so how a caucus gathering is publicized and the way these meetings are run can vary.

Historically, caucuses were a common way that the major political parties determined their presidential nominees. Today, since Utah is among only about 7 states that use any form of a caucus, the level of public knowledge about the system (and attendance at caucus) tends to be very low. Moreover, very few other states use a caucus-convention system to nominate candidates. Voters who move to Utah from other states or countries are especially unfamiliar with the caucus system and unlikely to participate.

What is a delegate?
A delegate is an individual chosen in the biennial caucus meeting to represent their voting precinct at party conventions. Delegates serve two-year terms and have specific responsibilities, the greatest of which are attending annual state or county conventions. State delegate and county delegate are separate roles, although individuals can run to be both state and county delegates. For the GOP, the number of delegates allotted to a precinct is proportional to the number registered Republicans in the precinct. There are a total of 4000 state GOP delegates.

Delegates gather every year at their party’s convention. During the first year (even-numbered years) delegates meet to vote on candidates for their party’s primary elections. This meeting is called the “nominating convention.”

During the second year (odd-numbered years) delegates meet to conduct party business, such as voting on party officials, rules, and their political platform. This meeting is called the “organizing convention.” Delegates are expected to attend these conventions, as well as to thoroughly vet candidates for both elections and party leadership.

Isn’t there a Dual Path to the Ballot in Utah?

Yes, Utah recognizes a dual path to the primary ballot. Candidates can earn a position on the primary ballot through the Caucus/Convention Process, as described here, or by a Petition Process (or both!)

Many candidates pursue both routes, and some candidates prefer the caucus/convention system because it is (potentially) less costly and often ensures the backing of local party leadership.

Why Showing Up Makes a Difference.

Delegates are chosen by the people who participate in neighborhood caucus meetings. If a broad and representative group attends caucus meetings, the delegates chosen will reflect that breadth and diversity of opinions. The policies in action today are a result of the opinions of those who participated in the past. Were you among them?

Should I Try to Be a Delegate?

There’s a scene in the film The Devil Wears Prada in which the intern played by Anne Hathaway scoffs at a fashion deliberation, two belts that look indistinguishable. The inimitable Meryl Streep delivers a haughty lecture pointing out that Anne’s cerulean sweater is the farthest thing from the intended anti-fashion choice “…When in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you, by the people in this room…”–Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada

When citizen participation is low, the delegate system can sometimes lead to misalignment between party politics and the attitudes of the general public. If you do not participate in the neighborhood caucus for your political party, others (who may or may not share your political perspective) will make decisions and nominate political candidates for you. Our democracy is made stronger when more people engage in it. The only way to ensure representative leadership in Utah’s caucus/convention system is to have more voters step forward, attend caucuses and take delegate roles, we can ensure.

Neighborhood Caucuses permit Vetting of Candidates

Delegates get to meet and often even personally interview all the candidates for their precinct, including face-to-face meetings that would not be available to the general population. Selecting a small number of people to fulfill this duty gives that group the ability to personally get to know candidates well and cast a more informed vote on behalf of their precinct.

What happens when a Candidate Resigns?

The process depends on the type of elected official resigning. For federal offices (US House and Senate), a special election is arranged, and a party nominee is chosen by the same dual pathway as described earlier. For offices like Utah’s State Senate and House seats, when a state representative or senator resigns outside of the normal election period, their replacement is selected by their local party leadership. Usually, this means a special election where a few dozen delegates from the local party gather to vote on their party’s candidates. As of December 2023, at full quarter (25%) of Utah’s state representatives were initially selected for the role by party delegates!

How do I attend caucus? What is it like?

First, sign up for information and reminder notices! We will send you informative descriptions and interviews with people who’ve done it before. By the time caucus night arrives you’ll have an idea what to expect and how to get the most out of it.

There will be some public trainings and webinars run by the political parties, plus many put on by Women’s Work Utah and our affiliated civic organizations. Please check back often to find one near you!

What do I bring?

Bring your voter registration card and a valid ID! Caucus starts with a check-in where you show your voter registration card.  In urban areas, you’ll likely meet in a school library, gym or auditorium with a Pledge of Allegiance, a review of party platforms, and a rundown of the questions you’ll be deciding that evening. Everyone then finds their precinct’s room and the sitting precinct chair calls the meeting to order. In rural areas, you may be going to someone’s home. Some chairs use Robert’s Rules of Order, and others are less formal. Anyone wishing to run for an office or delegate role will make a statement introducing themselves and answer questions from the other attendees.

If you sign up for reminder emails from us, we can notify you with links when party precinct information is made public. 

What if I don’t want to become a delegate for either the state or county?

Please show up to caucus anyway! There is likely someone willing to serve whom you want to support. And even if not, the delegates who do get elected need to be reminded they represent a broad suite of political ideas. You have a right to stay in touch with them as they prepare for convention.