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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Republican Party has opted out of holding a presidential primary vote next year, choosing instead to hold a "presidential preference poll" during caucus meetings March 5.
Party Chairman Robert Axson informed Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, Utah's chief election officer, of the party's decision in a letter last week.
"As was done in 2016, the UTGOP will consider the various candidates for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024 in conjunction with our state-wide caucus," Axson wrote.
Axson told KSL NewsRadio the caucus would save taxpayer money by not running an election, incentivize participation in the caucus system and provide an incentive for presidential candidates to campaign in the state. Former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have already visited the state this year.
But opponents of the caucus system argue it makes it harder for regular voters to participate because it's harder for many to find time to participate in a caucus.
Axson said the party is working on options to allow people to vote even if they can't attend a caucus meeting in person, possibly by allowing a family member or neighbor to deliver proxy votes. In previous caucus votes, he said the party has accepted photocopies of IDs along with a signature in order to verify each person's vote.
"It worked out in 2016; we had the results later that night. I'm confident we will have the logistics worked out," he said. "We've seen that it was a benefit for the state and it created additional engagement."
Taylor Morgan, executive director of Count My Vote, called the caucus convention process "antiquated, insecure, and an unaccountable relic of last century." Count My Vote is an organization that helped create Utah's signature-gathering path to the primary ballot.
"By opting out of Utah's official voting methods and all election security protections, the (Utah GOP) will limit participation in the 2024 Republican presidential primary," Morgan said.
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But, he acknowledged that caucuses make it harder for some to participate.
"That is always a concern. We look to try to find some ways for people to have an absentee ballot for their caucus, as well, and we'll work with the party to see how that works out," he said.
Utah Republicans will hand out the state's 40 delegate votes along with Republicans in 14 other states on Super Tuesday, March 5, when a total of 865 delegates will be up for grabs.
Although campaigns are already well underway, the first votes won't take place until the Iowa caucus on Jan. 15.
