The Republican and Democratic state parties have cancelled in-person precinct caucuses, which were scheduled for Tuesday. County conventions will not be held in person, nor will the April 25 state convention.
The Utah GOP caucuses are cancelled, and delegates elected in 2018 will continue to serve until 2022, which is when the next caucus would be scheduled. GOP delegates will serve in county and state conventions in 2020. Changes to in person conventions are being determined.
Democratic Party caucus and conventions will be determined individually by precinct chairs. All April 24th and 25th in person events are cancelled and party leaders are working out the details of the best way to protect the public health while also nominating candidates.
The Summit County Democratic Party anticipated the public health order to eliminate large group events when they met March 8. Instead of cancelling the event, they plan to hold a virtual on-line caucus. Summit County Democratic Party Chair Merideth Reed says anyone interested in participating in the caucus can sign up through the website.
There are no Republican challengers for the two open county council seats this year so candidatees selected by the precinct delegates wins in the November election.
She says it’s a great time to be a part of the county caucus because everyone is home bound and has the time to participate. Those who want to vote on their neighborhood delegates can do so at the caucus. She says 200 people have submitted their names.
“The county convention is where we will have more of a live stream event. We haven't nailed down exactly what platform we are going to use for that but then that will be the place where folks can tune-in and then if you're a county delegate, then you get to vote for which candidate you support. That will then go to the November ballot.
Go to scdems.org to learn more about the virtual caucus.
KPCW contacted the Summit County Republican Party chair for comment but received no response as of this report.
The Wasatch County Democratic Party will extend precinct delegates until 2022 when the next caucus would be held. Their website states they’ll move to a “drive-by-balloting system. To stay up to date go to wasatchdems.org.
The Wasatch GOP will follow the guidance of the state Republican Party and extend precinct delegates until 2022.