A Resolution In Appreciation Of Sen. Curt Brambles and Rep. Dan McCays Attempt To Save The Caucus-Convention System

WHEREAS, a group of prominent Republicans including former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, Kirk Jowers, and

Gail Miller began a citizens initiative petition known as Count My Vote (CMV), with the stated purpose

of modernizing Utahs current election system to give all Utah voters a voice in choosing candidates.

WHEREAS, CMV approached the Utah Republican Party with a list of proposed changes to the caucus-

convention system that ostensibly would have increased participation;

WHEREAS, the Utah Republican Party declined to make any of the changes requested by CMV;

WHEREAS, CMV agreed to withdraw its petition if the Party agreed to raise the convention nomination

threshold from 60 percent, which would lead to more primary elections;

WHEREAS, the State Central Committee and the state delegates voted against raising the 60 percent

convention nomination threshold;

WHEREAS, the language of the CMV initiative would have completely eviscerated the convention-caucus

system and replace it entirely with candidate signature gathering and a forced direct primary;

WHEREAS, CMV proceeded to raise almost $1 million to collect the required number of signatures in 26

state senate districts to place its citizens initiative on the November 2014 general election ballot;

WHEREAS, CMV began running effective radio ads casting the caucus-convention system in a negative

light and advocating that every voter should have a voice in the candidate selection process;

WHEREAS, Mitt Romney publically endorsed the CMV citizen initiative in late February 2014 and agreed

to use his name and good will to ensure its passage;

WHEREAS, some polls showed that CMV was winning the public relations battle with over a 70 percent

approval rating among voters;

WHEREAS, CMV appeared to be close to gathering the required 102,000 signatures with several weeks

left to comply;

WHEREAS, it becomes fairly clear to legislators and many others closely monitoring the situation that

the CMV initiative was on a trajectory to qualify for the ballot;

WHEREAS, the legislature explored all of its available options to combat the CMV initiative and made the

educated decision that a compromise was best option to preserve the caucus-convention system;

WHEREAS, Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo) and Rep. Dan McCay (R-Riverton) reached a compromise with

CMV in which the caucus-convention system could be preserved;

WHEREAS, Sen. Bramble and Rep. McCay presented their compromise to the Utah Republican Partys

governing body (the State Central Committee) on March 1, 2014 less than two weeks before the end

of the legislative session;

WHEREAS, the State Central Committee voted to enact a resolution condemning CMV during its March

1, 2014 meeting, but TOOK NO FORMAL ACTION AGAINST THE COMPROMISE proposed by Sen. Bramble

and Rep. McCay during that same meeting;

WHEREAS, Sen. Bramble and Rep. McCay sponsored legislation that preserved a path for the Utah

Republican Party to qualify its candidates for the ballot through the caucus-convention system.

WHEREAS, as a result of the compromised reached with Sen. Bramble and Rep. McCay, CMV agreed to

withdraw its petition if the legislature passed a bill to provide an alternative path to the primary ballot in

addition to the caucus-convention system;

WHEREAS, the Republican-dominated legislature voted overwhelmingly to support the comprise to

preserve the caucus-convention system and Governor Herbert signed it into law;

WHEREAS, most of the Republican legislators who supported the compromise to preserve the caucus-

convention system honestly believed the CMV initiative would pass and its consequences would have

been devastating to the Utah Republican Party;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the Davis County Republican Party expresses it sincere appreciation to

Sen. Curt Bramble and Rep. Dan McCay for their efforts to preserve the caucus-convention system.

Submitted by Todd Weiler May 5, 2015