PRECINCT CAUCUS

MEETINGS IN UTAH

WHAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD WHAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD CAUCUS?CAUCUS?

DELEGATESDELEGATES

WHEN & WHEREWHEN & WHERE

When is my Neighborhood Caucus?

Caucus meeting dates are: Tuesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. Democrats Thursday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. Republicans

Where is my Neighborhood Caucus?

We will provide more info on MAC for precinct caucus locations.  They are being finalized by the political parties. The Lieutenant Governor's office will also post information regarding neighborhood caucus locations at http://vote.utah.gov

PARTICIPATINGPARTICIPATING

How do I Participate? Everyone is welcome to attend their neighborhood caucus

meeting. However, in order to seek election as a precinct officer or as a state or county delegate, you must be a registered voter affiliated with the party of your choice.

You can register to vote and/or affiliate at your caucus meeting or register online at: https://secure.utah.gov/voterreg/index.html

PREPARATIONPREPARATION

Prepare in Advance

1. To ensure your eligibility to be a delegate be sure you have registered in the party of your choice.

2. Look up which voting precinct you live in and where your caucus meeting will be held: http://vote.utah.gov/county-clerk/

3. Arrive at your caucus meeting at least 10 minutes early. Greet others as they enter the room.

4. Bring 10-20 neighborhood friends to the caucus who will vote for you.

5. Ask someone to nominate you.

6. Be prepared with remarks and expect some questions/opposition about your views. Speak strongly for credit unions and other issues of importance to you -- be tactful in discussing contentious matters.

THE FORMAT OF CAUCUS THE FORMAT OF CAUCUS MEETINGSMEETINGS

• Party platforms are read, elections are held, and the meetings are run following “parliamentary procedure.”

• Each precinct has a predetermined number of state delegates to

elect on caucus night.

• These delegates will represent their neighbors at the Utah State Democratic Convention on April 20 & 21, 2012, location TBD, or Utah State Republican Convention on April 21, 2012, at the South Towne Expo Center.

• County delegates will also be elected during the caucus meetings. County conventions will be held during March and April.

Remember: you MUST be registered as a Republican to vote or become a delegate in that party’s caucus. There are no requirements of declaration of party membership in the Democratic caucuses.

DELEGATE DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIESRESPONSIBILITIES

As a delegate, you will have the attention of candidates because you ultimately could make or break their candidacy. They will seek you out and you can influence their views on issues that are important to you including those related to Mountain America and credit unions.

State conventions are held in order to narrow down the candidates for state and federal offices. Before running as a state delegate, make sure that you are available and committed to attending your party’s state convention.

STATE CONVENTIONSTATE CONVENTION

The purpose of this meeting is to:• Visit with all the candidates from the Party.

• Listen to the campaign speeches by the candidates

• Vote to narrow the field until someone wins by a 60% marginor if that doesn't happen by the 3rd round, the two highest vote getters will run in a Primary Election.

WHERE YOUR VOTE COUNTS WHERE YOUR VOTE COUNTS MOSTMOST

IMPORTANCEIMPORTANCE

– Delegates narrow the ballot in every race in Utah; they have extraordinary power to influence the outcome of elections.

– For the last several years, many races in Utah have been one-party races so that those who are elected by delegates are almost assured a win in the general election.

– Candidates for office in Utah can focus on getting the delegate vote and then may give less attention to the general public during or after the campaign.

– Employees can be advocates for Mountain America by educating candidates about our credit union – who we are and the positive impact MACU has on the lives of our members and employees.

INVEST IN YOUR COUNTRYINVEST IN YOUR COUNTRY

By attending your neighborhood caucus you are investing in the political process. This country was founded on a system where individuals elect those who will best represent their values in government. Casting your vote for the county and state delegates in your precinct meeting is a basic building block of our democracy.

Thank you for reviewing this information and please

remember…