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Utah's nomination process 8 3-11 - revised
The document discusses the findings and recommendations of the Governor's Commission on Strengthening Utah's Democracy, established to address declining voter participation in Utah. The commission identified issues within the state's caucus-convention nomination system, which disenfranchises a significant portion of eligible voters and is susceptible to manipulation. The report concludes with eight recommended reforms aimed at enhancing campaign finance transparency, voting accessibility, and increasing political engagement among Utahns.
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Utah's nomination process 8 3-11 - revised
- 2. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken SystemCapitol Club RetreatAugust 3, 2011Kirk L. JowersDirector, Hinckley Institute of Politics
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- 5. Hinckley Institute LocalInternships
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- 8. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken SystemGovernor’s Commission onStrengthening Utah’s DemocracyThe Governor’s Commission on Strengthening Utah’s Democracy was established in January, 2009 by former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. and subsequently endorsed by his successor, Governor Gary Herbert. The Commission was a response to a worrying trend. Utah has historically boasted robust voter turnout, but Utahns are now less likely to cast a ballot than citizens of 47 other states. This tumble in voter turnout is likely indicative of a broader decline in all forms of political participation. The Commission was tasked with recommending revisions to Utah’s campaign finance, lobbying, and election laws that would bolster political participation in our great state. The Commissioners were a diverse group of respected community and political leaders from across the political spectrum.
- 9. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Governor’s Commission onStrengthening Utah’s DemocracyThe Commission actively sought public input and participation. The Commission established a website (www.strengthendemocracy.org) to publish meeting minutes and research. Via this website, the Commission encouraged and received suggestions and comments from a large number of citizens. The Commission held 12 meetings between February and December of 2009, throughout Utah. The Governor’s Commission on Strengthening Utah’s Democracy concluded its business on November 5th by unanimously recommending landmark reforms in the areas of campaign finance, voting accessibility, and enforcement. In total, the Governor’s Commission made 8 recommendations to “strengthen Utah’s democracy.”
- 10. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken SystemGovernor’s Commission onStrengthening Utah’s DemocracyRECOMMENDATION FOR REQUIRING DISCLOSURE OF EMPLOYMENT DATA (Passed 16-2)RECOMMENDATION FOR MANDATORY ELECTRONIC FILING (Passed 17-1)RECOMMENDATION FOR OVERSEAS MILITARY VOTING REFORM (Passed Unanimously)RECOMMENDATION FOR REVOLVING DOOR PROVISION(Passed 10-5)
- 11. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken SystemGovernor’s Commission onStrengthening Utah’s DemocracyRECOMMENDATION FOR ELECTIONS, LOBBYING, & CAMPAIGN FINANCE ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION (Passed Unanimously)RECOMMENDATION FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM (Passed Unanimously)RECOMMENDATION FOR MAKING VOTER REGISTRATION AUTOMATIC AND PORTABLE (Passed Unanimously)RECOMMENDATION FOR IMPROVING THE VOTER REGISTRATION PROCESS (Passed Unanimously)
- 12. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Historical Utah Voter Participation:
- 13. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Recent Utah Voter Participation:
- 14. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Utah Voter Participation vs. Nation:Source: Michael McDonald, George Mason University, Illustration by Utah Data Points
- 15. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Utah Voter Participation vs. Nation:Source: Michael McDonald, George Mason University, Illustration by Utah Data Points
- 16. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System The caucus-convention process demonstrates the best and worst of Utah:BESTConvention delegates are among the nation’s most engaged citizens.Delegates spend countless hours analyzing candidate positions and attending issue forums before casting their votes.WORSTDelegates constitute less than 2/10 of 1% of Utah’s population.Delegates do not represent Utahns’ views.The system disenfranchises large swaths of our population.Parties have become subservient to extreme bases while ignoring moderates.Interest groups manipulate the process before the electorate weighs in.Utah has the highest barrier for a candidate’s entry onto a primary election ballot of any state in the nation.Utah’s caucus-convention system is “ripe for voter fraud.”
- 17. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Delegates constitute less than 2/10 of 1% of Utah’s population:Delegates received hundreds of mailings, phone calls, gifts and invitations to meals and events leading up to the state convention.The rest of Utah voters were never engaged — 99.8% of the population was irrelevant during the most determinative elections.Utah erects the country’s highest barrier to primary candidacy (e.g., Utah is the only state that would not have allowed Governor Olene Walker or U.S. Senator Bob Bennett to appear on the ballot).
- 18. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Delegates do not represent the parties’ respective voters and views:Republican DelegatesProtecting states’ rightsCreating a business-friendly economyProtecting gun rightsAllowing mining and grazing on federal landsPreventing illegal immigrationRepublican Voters Protecting states’ rightsCreating a business-friendly economyIncreasing the number of high-quality jobsImproving quality of K-12 educationReducing crime Democratic DelegatesImproving quality of K-12 educationImproving the ethics and oversight of elected officialsExpanding the availability of health careLowering the costs of health careDecreasing pollutionDemocratic VotersImproving quality of K-12 educationImproving the ethics and oversight of elected officialsIncreasing number of high-quality jobsReducing crimeCreating a business-friendly economySource: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 19. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Delegates do not represent the parties’ respective voters and views:Republican DelegatesProtecting states’ rightsCreating a business-friendly economyProtecting gun rightsAllowing mining and grazing on federal landsPreventing illegal immigrationDemocratic DelegatesImproving quality of K-12 educationImproving the ethics and oversight of elected officialsExpanding the availability of health careLowering the costs of health careDecreasing pollutionUnaffiliated VotersImproving the quality of K-12 educationImproving the ethics and oversight of elected officialsIncreasing the number of high-quality jobsReducing crimeCreating a business-friendly economySource: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 20. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Delegates do not represent the parties’ respective voters and views:Key DisparityQuestion: “Do you agree or disagree that it is valuable for Utah to re-elect current U.S. Senators and Reps. in order to maintain seniority in Congress?”43% of Republican delegates strongly disagree23% of Republican voters strongly disagreeSource: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 21. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Delegates do not represent the parties’ respective voters and views:Key DisparityQuestion: “Do you agree or disagree that the U.S. should withdraw from the United Nations?”13% of Republican delegates strongly disagree32% of Republican voters strongly disagreeSource: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 22. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Improving Education not a top priority for GOP DelegatesRepublican delegates ranked “improving the quality of K-12 education” as the 11th-most important political issue in Utah (out of 22).Democratic delegates, registered Democrats, and unaffiliated voters ranked “improving the quality of K-12 education” as the most important issue. Among registered Republicans, it ranks 4th.68% of Democrats (67% delegates, 69% registered), 50% of unaffiliated voters, and 44% of registered Republicans say improving the quality of education is “extremely important.” However, just 26% of Republican delegatesagree.Source: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 23. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Republican voters more readily support Romney than do Republican delegatesQuestion: For whom would you vote “if the 2012 Republican presidential primary were being held today?”76% of registered Republicans named Romney54% of Republican delegates named RomneyRomney won nearly 90% of all GOP votes in Utah in 2008. While a majority of delegates still favor Romney, there is a clear disparity.Among GOP delegates, the next most popular choice for 2012 is Rep. Ron Paul (14%). In contrast, only 5% of registered Republicans named Paul. 7% of GOP delegates named Sarah Palin; 2% of registered GOP voters named Palin.Source: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 24. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System The system disenfranchises large swaths of our population:55% of registered Republicans who voted in the 2008 election are women. Though Republican women have a higher rate of voting than Republican men, Republican women in Utah are dramatically underrepresented in the ranks of current GOP delegates; only 25% of current GOP delegates are female.Among Utah Democrats, women also participate more than men – of all registered Democrats who voted in 2008, 60% are female.Despite their higher rate of participation, Democratic women are also less likely to participate in Utah’s convention process – 45% of Democratic delegates are women.Source: Dan Jones & Associates, Utah Foundation, Hinckley Institute of Politics, 2010
- 25. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Utah’s caucus-convention system is “ripe for voter fraud”“Often, there is a lack of control and accountability as people gathered in a living room will write down names on a slip of paper and pass it to a caucus chair or designee, who reads the names and declares the delegates.” “Substitute delegates can be chosen by party leaders, who also can rule delegates ineligible.”Paul Rolly: Utah ripe for election manipulation. The Salt Lake Tribune, August 14, 2010
- 26. Utah’s Nomination Process:ABroken System Potential Reforms to Nomination Process:The following three simple reforms will allow us to keep the convention and benefit from our hardworking delegates while re-engaging and empowering Utahns. Utah’s parties must:make primary elections more common and accessible by lowering the convention’s current 40% vote threshold to 20% and establish a petition process; devote more resources to outreach and get exponentially more people involved in our caucus meetings; andmake the rules of the system less confusing and more consistently and transparently applied.