Getting Elected to a Position
Only people who live within your precinct will vote for your precinct’s positions, which might include only one or up to a handful of delegate spots, in addition to precinct officer positions. Here are a few steps to help make sure you’re prepared to win that precinct-level election.
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Step 1 - What's your precinct?
Visit your county clerk’s website and look for a map of precinct boundaries. For some counties this will be easy to find, and for others you may have to call your county clerk for help - but don’t worry, they will be friendly and want to help you participate! Once you have that map, find where you live and see how far the boundaries extend. For precincts in densely populated areas, this might be just a few blocks, but in some parts of Utah, it could be an entire small town.
Step 2 - Who can you bring with you?
At many precinct meetings, there will only be a handful of attendees beside yourself. The easiest way to make sure you have the votes to win an election is to bring the voters with you. Using your precinct map, identify any friends, family members, or neighbors who live within the boundaries and ask them to join you at the caucus meeting. If you’re attending a Republican caucus meeting, you’ll need to make sure everyone is eligible to attend - either a registered Republican or unregistered or unaffiliated voter, willing to register as a Republican. Voters who are currently registered with another party can’t vote at a Republican caucus meeting. Bring as many caucus attendees with you as you can - in some precincts, bringing one or two people will be enough, where in others, you may need many votes to win an election.
Step 3 - Why are you running?
This is aquestion you need to be prepared to answer. Even in the most informal of caucus gatherings, other attendees will want to know who the delegates representing their precinct are, and at some caucus meetings, candidates for positions will be asked to stand up and give a short speech. Either way, you need to be prepared to share why you’re running, usually including which candidates you’re hoping to support if you become a delegate. It’s okay to be undecided in some or even all of the nomination elections delegates will vote on, but many caucus attendees will be there in hopes of supporting delegates to vote for specific candidates. You shouldn’t lie about your intentions as a delegate, but be ready to read the room or make some compromises.
Step 4 - Keep your precinct updated!
If you’re elected as a delegate or precinct leader, you are filling a role in your party and representing your neighborhood. You should take this role seriously, especially if you’re interested in running again in two years. Many caucus attendees will remember the delegates they elected who didn’t attend the county or state conventions, or the precinct officers who didn’t volunteer during election season.
