Utah
Is it time to end Utah's caucus/convention system?
At the Utah Republican convention Saturday, Gov. Spencer Cox wondered if all the nastiness, boos and insults he and some other candidates endured at the hands of delegates would give “more ammunition” to those who would like to discontinue the caucus/convention system.
The simple answer is yes. The conversation surrounding the future of selecting candidates is Topic 1 this week among those who follow and support political races. It’s not just about booing candidates or expressing differences. The behavior exhibited by some at the Salt Palace Convention Center Saturday was disturbing enough to make us wonder whether the system has outlived its usefulness.
Our conclusion is that it isn’t yet time to change the system, but that party leaders should beware.
We have long supported retaining the caucus/convention system in addition to the signature-gathering system for qualifying candidates for primary ballots. The two systems combined give registered Republicans the opportunity to choose from a diversified pool of candidates.
But that argument loses some of its luster when conventions are controlled by unruly and uncivil behavior. And when caucus night activities are so confusing or disorganized that only 9% of the Republican Party turn out to select delegates, as happened this year.
And while it’s true that candidates new to the political world may not have the name recognition or the resources to gather the requisite signatures, and that the caucus/convention system gives them an attainable route to the ballot, those advantages are lost when a my-way-or-the-highway ideology triumphs over common sense and productive debate.
It is both sobering and instructive to contemplate that, without the signature-gathering option as an alternative, Cox would have been denied a chance for reelection as governor. This, despite a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll in February showing 50% of voters favoring him in the upcoming primary. The nearest competitor had 5%.
Over the last 10 years, convention delegates have often chosen candidates other than those preferred in opinion polls. Generally, they lose in the primary election.
What really ought to give Utahns pause, however, is the incivility and nastiness that some (certainly not all) convention delegates displayed Saturday. Even Gov. Cox’s Disagree Better national campaign was mocked by some in the convention hall.
When Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson posted on X that she was “mortified by the vulgarity and viciousness my young nieces were exposed to by another gubernatorial campaign’s supporters,” it raised questions about the intent of delegates who were elected to express the will of party members.
When a strong conservative such as Utah Rep. Kera Birkeland tweets about her daughters enduring mocking and shaming at a help desk, it elevates those questions.
And when former state senator and current Senate candidate Dan Hemmert tells us delegates seemed more concerned with conspiracy theories, federal issues and a candidate’s position on the new state flag than on vetting people for their ability to do the job to which they seek election, it raises alarm bells.
Is this the true nature of the state’s largest political party?
Hemmert told delegates the Republican Party has a record of electing good people in spite of the caucus/convention system, not because of it. That ought to give party leaders pause.
The convention this year seemed designed to make participation difficult. Delegates complained of long lines and technical difficulties. The convention lasted 15 hours, with the original tally of 3,886 credentialed delegates having dwindled to 2,713 by the time candidates were considered for the important Senate seat being vacated by Mitt Romney.
If the caucus/convention system were scuttled, satisfying alternatives are hard to find. The party may adopt a more open primary, in which candidates would have to collect fewer, or perhaps no petition signatures. But this would only put another flaw in Utah’s election system into high relief — the lack of a runoff election procedure for races involving multiple candidates when none receives a majority of votes cast.
Certainly, there is little appetite to go back to the days of party bosses and whatever passed for a smoke-filled room in Utah. Nevertheless, it is valid to ask, is there a better way?
We are reminded of the words of John Adams, who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Utah lawmakers should be careful when it comes to changing or removing long-standing party nominating systems. It may not be time to end the caucus/convention system that served past generations so well. However, party leaders now have the responsibility to demonstrate that keeping it will be good for democracy in the future. After all, the goal should not be about control. It should be about participation and having one’s civil voice heard.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.
A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.
He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.
MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche
In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.
“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.
A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.
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CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.
LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.
Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.
The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.
MORE | Murder-Suicide
Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.
10:33 a.m. — Call 1
After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.
Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.
“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”
11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3
As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.
“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”
11:26 a.m. — Call 4
Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.
“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”
She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.
Police indicated officers were on the way.
2:26 p.m. — Call 5
Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.
Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.
“They found a note on the door.”
2:35 p.m. — Call 6
Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.
“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”
A dispatcher responded:
“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”
2:36 p.m. — Call 7
Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:
“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”
2:39 p.m. — Call 8
Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.
“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”
He repeats the details he knows for the second time.
3:13 p.m. — Call 9
Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.
“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”
Dispatch responded:
“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”
4:05 p.m. — Call 10
More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.
“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”
The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.
Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.
The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.
5:23 p.m. — Call 11
Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.
“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”
She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.
Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference
Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”
Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.
“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.
Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.
“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.
2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:
- Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
- Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
- Does it support a ban from classrooms?
Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.
“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.
MORE | Utah State Legislature:
Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.
“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.
“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.
The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.
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