Closed primary exacts price

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 12:14 a.m. MDT
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Here's another reason that Utah's Republican Party should retreat from its closed primary election: tens of thousands of additional costs shouldered by taxpayers.

Unaffiliated voters who cast ballots in last week's GOP primary had to register as Republicans. Presumably, those registration forms were turned over to the county clerk with ballots, for further processing. Soon after the election, "special-occasion" Republicans mailed subsequent voter registration forms to restore their unaffiliated status. Those documents required more clerical changes. Many county clerks have had to hire temporary workers to handle the barrage of additional paperwork.

Party faithful will argue that only members of the Republican party should select their respective candidates. That would be ideal except that Utah can hardly be considered the model of the two-party system. With the exception of Democrat Congressman Jim Matheson, Republicans hold every major elected office in Utah. Likewise, Republicans control both houses of the Utah Legislature. There are occasions when Republican candidates run unopposed. If voters do not participate in the Republican primary, they have no choice.

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It is curious why factions of the Republican Party feel so threatened by interlopers who participate in the GOP primary. There is no evidence that Democrats are switching over in droves to influence the outcomes of primary races. If anything, the closed primaries are turning away people who lean Republican but choose to be register as unaffiliated voters. They may not want to go to the trouble of registering as Republicans or perhaps they resent having to affiliate to cast a vote.

This past week, Gov. Olene Walker said political parties may need to cover the costs of holding primary elections in the future. At a minimum, the party should bear the additional costs associated with voter registration and re-registration.

In the coming years, unaffiliated voters will not be permitted to register as a Republican on Election Day. They could conceivably remember to register as a Republican weeks before the closed primary election but chances are they won't remember or bother to do so.

The obvious solution is to do away with closed primary elections. Then there's no added expense and the process is less confusing to voters.

Considering the widespread voter apathy in the United States, political parties should do all they can to energize voters and encourage their participation in the political process. Utah's GOP party has, instead, erected roadblocks that not only discourage non-Republicans from taking part in the party's primary but have turned off voters who have Republican leanings. If the GOP insists on continuing this arrangement, it ought to bear the additional costs of perpetuating its exclusive club.

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