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BECOME A DELEGATE

At each caucus meeting, delegates are chosen to go to state and county conventions.  Precinct chairs, vice chairs, and secretaries are also selected.  State delegates represent their precincts at the state convention (April 23rd for Republicans and April 22nd-23rd for Democrats), where they elect candidates to run for state offices such as governor and senator.  County delegates attend a county convention where they elect candidates who will run for county offices.  Precinct chairs, vice chairs, and secretaries manage the affairs of the precinct and help run meetings.  If you would like to be selected for any one of these positions, here is what you need to do before, during, and after your caucus meeting.

Before the Meeting

Rally your friends.  Get everyone you know who lives in your precinct to register to vote and come to the caucus meeting with you.  In order to become a delegate, you will need to be elected by everyone attending the meeting.  Bring as many friends as you can to the meeting with you, but remember that they will need to be from your precinct and registered to vote at their current address.

 

If you need to get your friends registered to vote, send them this link: https://secure.utah.gov/voterreg/index.html.  NOTE: If your friends are from out of state, they will need to register by mail.  Email us at byuccp@gmail.com if you have any questions about getting your friends registered to vote.

 

Make sure to follow up with your friends so that you know for sure they are registered at their current address several weeks before the caucus meetings starts.

Ask someone to nominate you.  In order to be considered as a delegate, you will need to be nominated. Yes, you could nominate yourself, but it always looks better if you have someone else nominate you.  Make sure that this person comes to the meeting and remembers to nominate you at the appropriate time.

Know what you stand for.  Why do you want to be a delegate? What issues matter to you?  Who do you support in the upcoming elections? Make sure you understand local races and who’s running for office in your senate and house district.  Be prepared to answer questions about why you feel you are best qualified to represent the people from your precinct

 

If you would like to see your party's platform and you are a Democrat, click here.  If you would like to see your party's platform and you are a Republican, click here.

During the Meeting

Be nominated.  After party business is conducted, the precinct chair will ask for nominations for precinct chair, vice chair, precinct secretary, state delegate, and county delegate.  You will need someone to nominate you for your desired position, or you can nominate yourself.  Make sure that you are nominated for the position you are seeking.  For instance, if you want to become a state delegate, you will need someone to nominate you after the precinct chair asks for nominations for state delegate.

Introduce yourself.  After the nominations have ended, each nominee will be asked to spend a maximum of three minutes introducing themselves and explaining why they are best qualified for the position. You might discuss why you want to be a delegate, why you are best qualified to represent your neighborhood (in your case, this includes the students in your apartment complex), and what your criteria is for choosing candidates.  It is here that you will need to be prepared to answer questions.  At the end of your speech, remember to ask the caucus attendees for their vote.

Vote for yourself.  After each nominee has introduced themselves and answered questions from members of the precinct, each registered voter in attendence will have the opportunity to write down which nominee they support on a small piece of paper.  This is the part where you cross your fingers and hope that all of your hard work and determination will pay off.  Your success will depend largely on how many students come with you to your meeting and how persuasive you are during your introduction.  Once the votes have been counted, the contender with the most votes will become the delegate.  In many precincts, multiple delegates will be elected, so even if you get second place, you may still be a winner.  Whatever you do, don't forget to vote for yourself!

After the Meeting

Prepare for the convention.  As a delegate, it is your responsiblity to represent your precinct at your party's convention.  Prepare by researching the candidates and familiarizing yourself with issues that are important to your precinct.  Know the names of every candidate and understand what they stand for and how the people in your precinct feel about them.

Understand your constituency.  As you research candidates and prepare for the convention, make sure to keep in touch with the people you represent.  If your precinct includes non-students or students who live in family housing, take the time to get to know them and understand what issues they care about.  If your precinct is filled with large apartment complexes, take the time to contact members of your party who you may not know who live in these complexes and ask them for their opinions on important elections you will be participating in. 

Attend the convention.  Make sure you know when your convention is and make it an unnegotiable priority in your schedule.  Representing your precinct at the convention is the most fundamental duty you have as a delegate.  Missing the convention is a problem not just for you but also for everyone who elected you.  If you do not represent your neighborhood at the convention, they're voice will not be heard.  

 

If you are a state delegate, the convention will be on April 23rd if you are Republican and April 23rd-24th if you are a Democrat.  More will be posted about county conventions as we receive additional information on their times and locations.

“Running as a delegate was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my freshman year of college.”

Andrew Sandstrom, Junior at BYU

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