|
This is supposed to be the Democrats' year.
Barack Obama is filling stadiums at home and abroad, and locally Utah County. Dems have a slate of respected candidates raising respectable piles of cash.
But despite huge registration drives nationally, state and county numbers show that Utah voters are not flocking to the Democratic Party. At least not on paper.
"[Utah] voters have a reputation for being independent when they have choices, viable choices, on the ballot," contends county Democratic chairman Richard Davis, "They're not voting for the party, they're voting for the person."
Tale of the Tape
For whomever they're voting, Utah residents are mostly registering as Republicans.
State and county election officials know on any given day how many people are in each party but say that they don't keep records, making it difficult to track registration trends.
But a snapshot from January shows that since then, Republicans have added nearly 100,000 voters statewide while Democrats have added just 9,000. A huge portion of the Republican gains can be tied to the popularity of once-presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
"Did he get us all more exited about the political process? Absolutely," said GOP state party chairman Stan Lockhart.
About 90 percent of Utahns voted for Romney in the Western States Presidential Primary on Feb. 5.
Undercover Dems?
Davis and other Utah County Dems say that they spend a substantial amount of time differentiating themselves from the national party.
For example, Davis recently came to Romney's defense after national Democrats decided to make Utah's adopted favorite son a target of attack ads. Davis said he doesn't agree with all of Romney's positions or decisions, but said Utah County Democrats are sympathetic with many of them.
"Romney is against abortion, so are we. Romney is against same-sex marriage but also against discrimination against people who are homosexual, so are we."
Such national tactics have local Dems including 3rd District candidate Bennion Spencer "talking instead about the importance of sensible and independent candidates. Spencer recently dismissed party affiliation when asked about Romney's endorsement of 3rd District GOP opponent Jason Chaffetz, stressing instead his independence and ability to enact change.
Enacting Voter Change
If Democrats are to gain substantial numbers on paper, they've got a lot of ground to make up. They're outnumbered in Utah County nearly 13-to-1.
Conversion is a slow process, especially in a county that hasn't elected a Democrat for more than a decade.
"It's quite a large leap for people to go from Republican to Democrat, or vice versa," Davis said.
It won't be easy. Republicans have launched a statewide campaign touting their successes as a party with a supermajority in the Utah Legislature and four of the five congressional seats in the state. Plus, registration season really picks up in September.
"You don't want to do too much in the summer months because everyone is focusing on vacations," Lockhart said.
Nuts and Bolts
So maybe you've been busy this summer and simply haven't gotten around to registering to vote, let alone for your party of choice.
All parties are actively recruiting this year, with presidential campaigns the driving force, said Jon Greenbaum, director of the Voting Rights Project in Washington, D.C. The project is part of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which works to protect voter rights.
While Utah hasn't had a rash of voter fraud, Greenbaum said voters should always be aware of the possibility. Voter registration, he said, is the easiest place for voters to become disenfranchised.
For example, it's often unclear what local rules are governing incomplete registration, he said. In the past year, Colorado passed legislation that states people are registered from the date of submission, even if they have to go back and fill in a few blanks. That keeps voters from falling prey to election officials who may withhold sending back incomplete forms until it's too late to participate in an election.
In Utah County, voter registration isn't valid until verified complete, said clerk/auditor Bryan Thompson. If the form is incomplete, he said his office will send it back immediately, clearly pointing out what needs to be filled in. But if it isn't turned back in until after the deadline has passed, the person can't vote.
The Deadlines?
If you want to register to vote, you'll have to do it by mail 30 days before an election or 15 days prior if done in person at the county office. |
