Daily Herald Article

Mark Johnston from the Daily Herald came to our caucus meeting. He took pictures and published the following picture and article in todays newspaper.

MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald

Travis Parry, left, fills out a ballot as Keri Witte, right, collects votes for legislative district 61, precinct 20 during the republican caucasus at Independence High School Tuesday, March 25, 2008. "I don't think I have much of a say in a national election but hopefully can make a difference locally," said Parry who was also nominated for county delegacy. "This is really grassroots, really student government type of small town voting."

Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Caucus-goers choose delegates
DAILY HERALD

Caucus meetings were held around the state Tuesday night for Republicans and Democrats, where voters elected delegates and precinct officers, and talked about candidates and issues.

For Republicans, county and state delegates are elected at caucuses, according to the Utah Republican Party's Web site. Usually for Democrats, county delegates are elected at caucuses, and state delegates are elected at the county conventions, according to the Utah Democratic Party. In Salt Lake County, elected county delegates are automatic state delegates.

"I don't think I have much of a say in a national election but hopefully can make a difference locally," said Travis Parry, who was nominated to be a county delegate during a Republican caucus at Independence High School in Provo. "This is really grassroots, really student-government type of small town voting."

The delegates go to the parties' county convention and help choose candidates for the primary or general elections. It's there that a crushingly predominant party makes the real decisions. For example, if the convention chooses a candidate by more than 60 percent, that person skips the primary and goes straight to the general election. Because Utah County hasn't elected a non-Republican based here for more than a decade, a GOP candidate coming out of the convention all alone has a perfect record in the general election.

The Utah County Democratic Party's convention will be at Dixon Middle School on May 3, with the state convention May 9-10 at the Cal Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The Utah County Republican Party's convention will be at Orem High School on April 26, with the state convention on May 10 at Utah Valley State College.