Utahns are going to get their turn next month to vote in the Republican and Democratic presidential nomination race, but not in a traditional primary election. This year, Utah is using the political party-run caucuses being held on March 22 to determine which candidates will get the state’s support at party nominating conventions this summer. Both Republicans and Democrats attending neighborhood caucus meetings that evening can cast their ballots in the presidential race. Republicans also have the option of voting online in the presidential race. The 2015 Legislature decided not to fund a $3 million presidential primary after the Utah GOP — amid the ongoing battle over changes lawmakers made to the overall candidate nomination process — announced it was holding a presidential caucus.
Bryan Smith, executive director of the Utah Republican Party, said several companies have been hired to conduct the election, dubbed the nation’s first to be conducted completely online.
Smith declined to talk about the price tag for the election, but Republicans visiting the party’s website, utah.gop, are asked to contribute $5 toward the cost, and presidential candidates had to pay $7,500 to get on the ballot.
“We want to make sure you don’t think there’s any funny business going on,” Smith said of the election process that requires Republicans to register online by March 15 to be able to vote in the presidential caucus.
Full Article: Utah holding presidential caucus, not primary election | Deseret News.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
