Utah Republican Party leaders tell UtahPolicy that they are considering suing the state over SB54, the Count My Vote citizen initiative petition compromise that provides a dual-track process to candidate nominations. It’s not the dual-track that state party chair James Evans finds illegal. Rather, it is the requirement in SB54 that political parties have an open primary. The state GOP has a closed primary today. Several court cases, including one in Idaho, rule that the government can’t force a political party to open its primaries, says Evans. Thus, there are legal problems with SB54 from the get-go, Evans believes. That may be the case if the compromise law, sponsored by Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, forced all political parties to have open primaries.
But Bramble and attorneys for the Legislature and CMV came up with a real slick alternative in SB54 that has not been widely discussed in all of the media hype about the compromise.
SB54 doesn’t FORCE the Utah Republican Party to have an open primary. (You can read SB54 here.)
In fact, the state GOP can CHOSE to keep their single-track, caucus/delegate/convention system exactly as it is today.
But if GOP leaders do chose to opt out of the dual-track, open primary system, then their candidates, on the November general election ballot, CANNOT come under a banner that says Utah Republican Party.
Full Article: GOP Mulling Lawsuit Over ‘Count My Vote’ Compromise.