SALT LAKE CITY -- On paper, it looks so all-American. As a matter of fact, I'm conjuring up visions of a Norman Rockwell cover of the Saturday Evening Post just thinking about it. Imagine, neighbors gathering together during a political season to politely, but enthusiastically discuss the pertinent issues of the day, and determine who should fill important positions in the precinct structure. Let's see, who should serve as Chairperson, Co-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and what about the opportunities to represent your friends and neighbors at the county and state conventions?

It's getting more "Rockwellian" by the moment, right?

The sad truth is our caucus system has become something much different. This, every-other-year, highly- concentrated moment of political power, offering no second chance, no early participation, no absentee ballot, has lost its neighborliness. I've used the term highjackable on my radio program to describe how vulnerable this event has become; vulnerable with power way out of proportion and no second chances.

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LDS Church urges attendance at caucuses

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is once again urging its Utah members to attend local precinct caucus meetings, saying it is concerned about low turnout.

What could possibly go wrong?

Representative Kraig Powell has called caucus night, "Utah's real election day," and rightfully so. Very few, highly motivated individuals can marshal supporters and cause tectonic shifts in the political landscape that may, or may not reflect the desires of their precinct. At worst, the true voice of the people can be subverted. Now, the obvious retort is, "Well, those other voices should have shown up!" There is truth to that, but I again point out that the power concentrated in such a tiny sliver in time automatically excludes, by its very nature, many thoughtful, fully engaged citizens. While there are some who would miss their mother's funeral or baby's birth to further their pet agenda, others cannot and fortunately would not.

The current caucus system certainly has had its ardent supporters. Many who currently hold office or wield power in our state attained their position through this very process. It has been most interesting however, to see some of these stalwarts nervously continue their caucus defense with a pasted-on smile and a trickle of sweat forming on their brow. Why? It's those tectonic shifts, leveraged by so very few, now moving the landscape under their feet.

Governor Gary Herbert is fond of saying, "In politics, friends come and go but enemies accumulate." He's absolutely right, and with our caucus system it takes little accumulation to cause a landslide. Even those with impressive, if not off-the-charts approval ratings can be swept away by just a handful of - let me be charitable - highly motivated patriots.

However, as I was reminded recently by a respected friend at lunch, this is the system in place right now and it's not going away anytime soon. He's right, and there will be time, hopefully in the not to distant future, for friendly yet, as our Founding Fathers would have said, "energetic" discussion as to what a viable solution might be.

In the meantime the real question is, "What can we all do to make our caucuses more productive and have this process more accurately represent the will of our citizens?" It's not rocket science. It's a matter of making the extra effort, especially this year to simply show up. Woody Allen famously said it, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." Now, there are a few pesky, minor details. It really helps if you show up prepared, prepared by familiarizing yourself with the process, prepared by knowing the issues, and prepared by studying the platforms of the candidates. Above all, be prepared to listen, be open-minded and be prepared to serve.

For now, this is the system that is in place and for those of us who have been dismayed not only by recent caucus results, but the tone of the meetings as well, Woody's words should be echoing in our heads.

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