Introduction

Election day is an exciting time when voters choose their state’s or country’s next leaders. But have you ever thought about how we decide who goes on the ballot? Explore this inquiry to find out!

Vocabulary

• Candidate: Someone who is running for a government office.
• General election: When all voters (from all parties) can vote for their preferred candidates. The general election ballot is the list of candidates that people choose between in the general election.
• Political party: An organization of people that work to promote their ideas, nominate candidates, and win elections. The two biggest political parties in the US are the Democrats and the Republicans.
• GOP: A nickname for the Republican Party (it stands for “Grand Old Party”).
• Primary election: A smaller election before the general election through which a political party chooses its candidates for the general election.
• Precinct: Cities and towns are divided into precincts, which are like neighborhoods, for voting.
• Caucus: A meeting where people in a precinct gather to discuss political ideas and choose delegates to represent them.
• Delegate: Someone chosen at a caucus to speak for a precinct. They vote on behalf of the precinct at a party convention.
• Party convention: A meeting where all the delegates from one political party choose the candidates that will represent that party in the general election.
• Vetting: Researching a candidate to determine if they are a good fit for a job.
• SB54: A bill that added a non-caucus-convention way for candidates to represent a political party on the general election ballot in Utah. Instead of winning at the convention, candidates can gather signatures from voters and then compete against convention winners for the nomination.

Two Ways to Choose Candidates

 
A lot of the candidates in most elections represent political parties. That means that before election day, political parties need to choose who they will put on the general election ballot. There are two main ways that political parties choose their candidates: the direct primary election and the caucus convention system. Here’s how each one works:

Direct Primary

In a direct primary election, political parties choose their candidate through a vote. There are two types of direct primaries. In a closed primary, only party members may receive a ballot and vote for their preferred candidate. In an open primary, anyone can request a ballot and vote for their preferred candidate, whether they are a member of the party or not. The candidate that receives the most votes is then put on the general election ballot for everyone to vote on. Candidates without a party (called unaffiliated candidates) do not have to win a party primary election to be in the general election, but may have other requirements they need to meet before being added to the ballot.

Utah’s Caucus Convention System

Utah’s system is a little more complicated than the direct primary system. Party candidates in Utah have two paths they can take to get on the general election ballot: the caucus convention path and the signature-gathering path.

1. In the caucus convention path, precincts (neighborhoods) hold caucus meetings. There, they discuss their political views and choose delegates from the precinct whom they feel can speak on their behalf. Then those delegates vet candidates, meaning that they do research, ask candidates questions, and become very familiar with candidates’ goals and plans. Next, all the delegates meet at a party convention to vote on the candidates that they think should represent the party on the general election ballot. If there is no clear winner, then there is a party primary election where all voters in a party (not just the delegates) vote on who should be put on the general election ballot. 

2. In the signature-gathering path, candidates do not need to win delegates’ votes to get on the ballot. Instead, they can gather a certain number of signatures to qualify for the party primary election. If they win the party primary election, they represent the party on the general election ballot. 
   

   

In Utah only registered Republicans can participate in Republican caucus meetings and primaries. Anyone who wants to can participate in Democratic caucuses and primaries. The path for unaffiliated candidates who do not represent a party is the same as in the direct primary system.

History of the System

Utah Pioneers used a system similar to the caucus even before Utah became a state. Towns were so small that town hall meetings could be used to elect leaders and argue politics. When Utah became a state in 1896, its political parties continued to use the caucus convention system. Most other states used similar systems at the time. For the people of Utah, continuing with the caucus was convenient and upheld tradition. While Utah did try switching to a direct primary system in 1937, it switched back to the caucus convention system after only ten years.

In 2014, a group called “Count my Vote” (CMV) asked the legislature to add an alternative route for politicians to get onto the ballot. The resulting compromise was Senate Bill 54 (SB54). This bill made it possible for candidates to get on the ballot by collecting signatures from Utah citizens. Candidates who would not be chosen by their party’s delegates at a convention can now call directly upon the people of the party for their support. SB54 has been popular with the general public, but the Utah Republican Party has fought against it.

2024 and the Future

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Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune

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Hannah Schoenbaum, AP Photo

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The election of Utah’s governor in 2024 was a great example of the caucus convention system. Spencer Cox, the Republican governor, ran for re-election. Even though Cox was popular across the state, he was unpopular with the delegates who were chosen at neighborhood caucuses. At the Republican convention, the delegates booed Cox and voted for his opponent, Phil Lyman, even though polls predicted that Cox was the most popular candidate in the state. Cox knew he might not win at the Republican convention so he had gathered enough signatures to force a primary election to choose the Republican candidate. In the primary election, all Republicans were allowed to vote for either Cox or Lyman to decide who would be the Republican candidate in the general election. Cox won easily. He then won the general election by a large majority.

Many Utahns thought that the 2024 election showed big problems with the caucus convention system. Even though Cox was the most popular candidate across the state, he lost at the convention. If he had not gathered signatures to force a primary election, a candidate less popular across the state would have been elected governor because of support from the Republican delegates.

Even with these problems, Cox himself said that he supports the caucus convention system and thinks Utah should keep it. Senator Mike Lee and Robert Axson, the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party, agree.

The debate over the caucus convention system makes the future of Utah’s electoral process difficult to predict. Why do some people like the caucus convention system while some want to change it? Explore the source archive to find why we might be better off changing the rules or leaving them the same.

Resources and References

To learn more, explore the following links:

• Count My Vote Website
• Utah Foundation November 2011 Report
• Supreme Court rejects appeal over SB54, meaning Utah’s law allowing candidates to gather signatures stands. . . for now -- Utah Policy Website

7th Grade:

UT Standard 4.2: Students will make an evidence-based argument regarding the appropriate roles of local, state, and federal governments in resolving a current and/or historical issue. (civics)

UT Standard 5.5: Students will research issues of civic importance in which city, county, tribal, or state governments have a role. Students will use their research to develop and write a policy proposal to the appropriate governmental entity, such as a board, commission, council, legislator, or agency. (civics)

12th Grade:

U.S. GOV Standard 3.4: Students will use data to evaluate election results and explain election processes and strategies.