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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Republican Party is planning to lobby the Legislature to repeal a law passed by a Republican-controlled House and Senate and signed by a Republican governor. The party is also filing a lawsuit. If this succeeds, the public would have every right to feel betrayed.
Senate Bill 54 was hammered out between those who wanted to preserve Utah's caucus and convention system for selecting party candidates and the many citizens who supported an initiative known as Count My Vote, which would have done away with that system. Revoking SB54 would destroy the trust inherent in any compromise.
Utah GOP Chairman James Evans says the issue is one of controlling the party's brand, ensuring voters that Republicans who appear on ballots adhere to party principles. It's unrealistic to suppose someone hostile to the Republican Party could become a candidate without being found out by his or her opponents. It's also hard to believe the GOP could be harmed by its own members who voted SB54 into law.
Let the law take effect. We doubt it will cause any harm to the party or Utah's electoral system. It is, after all, only one step toward making state politics more accessible, but it is an important one.
Darrell K. Brown is the president of Bonneville International and the KSL broadcast group.
