Elections
Attend your neighborhood caucus meetings March 13 (Democratic) and March 15 (Republican)!
Find the location of your caucus meeting (must be a registered voter)
Seeking Education Champions
Caucus meetings are critical!
Utah’s students and teachers need lawmakers who support public education. In Utah, our lawmakers are often chosen long before their names ever show up on a public election ballot. That’s because candidates are selected by political parties and political parties in Utah use a “caucus and convention” system to pick their candidates. Under this system, neighbors meet together in a “caucus” and elect “delegates” who represent their neighbors. These delegates then gather at a party “convention” to vote on which candidate(s) they want to be on the ballot.
Come caucus night (March 13 for the Democrats and March 15 for the Republicans) it’s critical that you do three things:
1) Attend your caucus meeting along with as many like-minded neighbors as you can get to come and support you;
2) Run as a delegate; and
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Become more familiar with caucus meetings and Utah's process for becoming a delegate by viewing the video at the right.
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3) Vote for other education-friendly delegates who will in turn support education-friendly candidates.
Selecting Education Friendly Delegates—
How do you know if a delegate is education friendly? At the caucus meeting, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions of those running as delegates. Here are some questions you can ask potential delegates at your caucus meeting:
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What do you view as Utah’s top priorities? Surveys suggest most Utahns view education as the state’s No. 1 priority with the economy a close second in most polls. Be wary of candidates with an “agenda” not in line with your neighborhood priorities.
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Do you support additional funding for public education? By a wide margin, Utah ranks last in the U.S. for the amount it spends per student on education and the vast majority of Utahns believe our public schools are underfunded. The UEA supports additional funding for research-based reforms that will improve student achievement?
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What public education reforms do you support? The UEA supports research-based reforms proven to boost student achievement such as smaller class sizes (Utah has by far the nation’s largest), increased student access to technology, enhanced early intervention programs, training and collaboration opportunities for teachers, and reforms that focus on attracting and retaining a quality teacher in every classroom. The UEA does not support paying teachers based solely on test scores, diverting funds from public schools to for-profit companies without taxpayer accountability, or reforms that would result in inequality of student access to educational programs.
Vote for delegates who support the same positions you do, or better yet, consider running yourself – it’s really not that difficult and can make a HUGE difference!
2012 Caucus Meetings—
2012 caucus meetings will be held March 13 (Democratic) and March 15 (Republican). Find the location of your caucus meeting (must be a registered voter).
2012 election - Attend your neighborhood caucus
By Sara Jones, UEA Director of Educational Excellence & Community Outreach
While the 2012 election is still a year away, it’s clear that many critical education issues lie ahead. Performance pay, collective bargaining and payroll deduction for association dues are just a few of the issues that will be on the table next year. Add to that important races for governor, senator, Congress and the State Legislature, and the 2012 election becomes even more significant.
That’s why it’s not too early to start working to ensure that educators are well prepared for the upcoming election. You can start by making the commitment to attend your party caucus in March.
Both Republicans and Democrats hold important neighborhood political meetings in March. The Republican meetings are called caucuses and the Democratic meetings are called mass meetings. People attend these meetings to discuss current issues and the party platform and, most importantly, to elect delegates to attend the county and state party conventions.
Delegates play an important role because it is the delegates who decide which candidates will be on the ballot in November. At the party convention delegates cast their vote for a candidate and if that candidate receives 60 percent of the vote they avoid a run-off in the June primary and will automatically be on the ballot in the November general election. If you’ve ever wished you had a better choice of pro-public education candidates, you can see why delegates are so important – delegates choose the candidates!
If you’ve never attended a caucus meeting before, it’s easy. Just keep a few things in mind. You must attend your assigned caucus which is determined by the precinct in the legislative district in which you live. You can find out your precinct number at vote.utah.gov. The location for your precinct’s caucus meeting is typically printed in the newspaper a few days before the meeting or you can call or visit the website of your county clerk or political party headquarters. Rules for attending and participating in a caucus vary slightly based on party rules, but generally both parties only require that you be a registered party member in order to vote at the caucus meeting.
Yes, it’s important to vote in the primary and general elections. But don’t wait until the candidates have already been chosen before you become involved. You can have a greater impact by attending your neighborhood caucus and electing delegates who will work to elect pro-public education candidates at the party convention. Or better yet, you can be elected a delegate yourself!
Make the commitment now to attend your party caucus in March, and bring your neighbors along too, so you can elect delegates who support public education.
Getting involved
Like it or not, much of what happens in Utah classrooms is out of the control of teachers, parents and school administrators. Decisions about everything from curriculum and class size to budgets for classroom supplies are made by elected officials and appointed policy makers. You can make a difference by attending your party caucus meeting, voting in the primary and general elections, attending school board meetings and following activities of the Utah State Legislature.
For more information about candidates and neighborhood political meetings in your area:
What is a party caucus meeting?
Both the Republican and Democratic parties hold important neighborhood political meetings in March. People attend these meetings to discuss current issues and the party platform and, most importantly, to elect delegates to attend the county and state party conventions.
Why is it important to attend my party caucus?
Convention delegates, elected by their neighborhood caucus, play an important role because it is these delegates who will decide which candidates will be on the ballot in November. At the party convention delegates cast their vote for a candidate and if that candidate receives 60 percent of the vote they will avoid a run-off in the June primary and will automatically be on the ballot in the November general election.
If you’ve ever wished you had a better choice of pro-public education candidates on the November ballot you can see why delegates are so important, delegates can choose the candidates! By attending your caucus you will have a say in which candidates end up on the ballot.
How can I get involved?
You must attend your assigned caucus meeting in order to participate. Caucus locations are typically printed in the newspaper a few days before the meeting or you can call your party headquarters or visit the party website to find out the location. Also, you must be a registered party member to vote or run as a delegate for the Republican party. The Democratic party allows anyone regardless of party registration to participate in the party caucus.
How can I become a delegate?
To become a delegate you just need to have more votes in your caucus than someone else. If you are interested in being a delegate let your friends and neighbors know. Decide if you want to be a county delegate, a state delegate, or both (in Salt Lake County, the Democratic delegates are automatically both). Candidates for a House or Senate district that crosses county lines are selected at the state convention. Take people with you to the meeting who are committed to vote for you. At the meeting, announce your desire to be a delegate and have someone ready to nominate you. When nominated, be prepared to answer questions about why you want to run. If it is to support public schools, say so!