Tuesday, March 23, is the date of the most important political meeting for citizens of the State of Utah. All precincts are to meet at 7:00 P.M. This must be an important meeting because all candidates for public office are contacting citizens and encouraging them to attend. Why is this meeting so important? Consider the following.
The term "Grassroots Politics" is often used. It has real meaning when joined with the Precinct Caucus meeting. The Precinct Caucus is the first phase of the election process in Utah. A Precinct is a geographical neighborhood area. At this meeting Citizens are elected to serve their Precinct (neighborhood area) as Precinct Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Citizens also volunteer at this meeting to serve as Election Judges at the Primary and General Elections.
In addition to the Precinct Officers, Delegates to the County and State Conventions for the respective political parties are also elected at the Precinct Caucus. A Delegate is a person elected at the Precinct Caucus Meeting to represent a specific precinct at the Convention. County Delegates attend the County Convention and the State Delegates attend the State Convention. At these conventions, the elected delegates will determine who will be the nominees for the County, State and Federal elected officials by voting and electing from the pool of candidates who have filed for office. Delegates are the ONLY people who choose the candidates for office. That is why the Precinct Caucus Meeting is so important and why serving as a delegate is such an opportunity and responsibility. Precinct Caucus information is available on the web sites of the various parties.
Citizens who attend the Precinct Caucus Meeting but who are not registered voters will be able to complete a Voter Registration Form that night.
It has been said that "the vote of a party delegate is worth 100 times that of a single vote in the general election. [Therefore,] serving as a state and/or county delegate is one of the greatest ways to influence Utah politics."
St. George REALTOR® Jim Coleman is Associate Broker and Partner/Owner of ERA Brokers Consolidated. He Specializes in Residential, Investment and Commercial Real Estate, holding National Designations of Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Resort and Second Home Property Specialist (RSPS), Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), GREEN Property Specialist, and Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource Specialist (SFR). You can contact him by e-mail at Jim@JimColeman4Homes.com. Call: (435) 627-5411; or write: Jim Coleman, 201 East St. George Boulevard, St. George, Utah 84770. This and other columns are available at www.WinningTalk.com/articles.