Economy Top Issue For Voters

March 23, 2012 (Utah Pulse) - While Utah is doing much better than the nation in the economic and job recovery, how our pocketbooks are faring is still the top issue this election season, a new study by the Utah Foundation finds.

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Caucus Attendance a Good Sign

March 20, 2012 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utahns turned out in large numbers at last week’s Democratic and Republican caucuses. There were reports of party workers being overwhelmed by the turnout. The Republican chair said attendance at GOP caucuses may have reached 200,000.

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Renewable Energy

March 16, 2012 (Deseret News) - Only 7 percent of Utah\’s power generation capacity comes from renewable resources. The state has the capacity to generate a lot more from wind, solar, geothermal and other sources, but the ability to do so depends to a great deal on a number of factors.

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Caucus week: Every voice matters

March 11, 2012 (Deseret News) - The form of government under which our nation has thrived for two-plus centuries is based upon the continuing protection of individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

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Candidates to challenge Sen. Hatch with upcoming caucuses

February 28, 2012 (Fox 13 News) - In two weeks, Utahns will take the first step in sealing the fate of Republican Senator Orrin Hatch.\r\n \r\n Note: Steve Kroes is misidentified as Craig Janis in this story, and vice versa. Also, this clip is no longer available on Fox13, this link is for the Sun Sentinel.

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Why is Turnout Falling in Utah

January 24, 2012 (Utah Data Points) - Why is turnout declining in Utah relative to other states? We’re not talking about a national problem. We’re talking about a Utah-specific problem. That means the answer will be something specific to Utah.

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The caucus system: Repair or replace?

January 15, 2012 (Daily Herald) - Small groups of Utah County neighbors are set to gather in countless homes in March in what is supposed to be the ultimate in grassroots politics, the purest form of American democracy.\r\n \r\n But is it really healthy? That depends on whom you ask.

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Bad news piling up

January 14, 2012 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utahns long ago gave up being ranked anywhere near No. 1 in public education, considering the lack of commitment among their legislators to creating a top-notch system. But dropping to eighth-worst in the latest Quality Counts national report should be cause for real concern.

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Data show short-term lending not predatory

December 19, 2011 (Deseret News) - Eyebrows raise when you hear about any interest rate on credit more than 30 percent. If you\’re discussing payday or title lending, the implied interest rates (in annual percentage rate) can be above 500 percent. Put in those terms, short-term consumer lending markets sound immoral and predatory.

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Changes to Nominating System Will Wait

December 16, 2011 (Utah Pulse) - A group of Utahns have decided not to run a citizen initiative in 2012 that could have provided an alternative route for a candidate to his party’s primary ballot.\r\n

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To Caucus or Not to Caucus

December 15, 2011 (KCPW) - A simmering debate over how political candidates are nominated in Utah is bubbling over into editorial pages, the blogosphere and now the radio waves. Do you think the state’s current caucus system is working?

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Utah election reformers pull back from 2012 target

December 15, 2011 (Salt Lake Tribune) - A push to change Utah’s nominating process backed by several prominent politicos, including former Gov. Mike Leavitt, is being put on hold for now, but backers say it could be back in 2014.\r\n \r\n Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, said his group remains convinced that something needs to be done to boost Utah’s voter participation, and that changing Utah’s unique convention system for nominating candidates could … Continued

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Our Unique Caucus System: The Pros and Cons

December 15, 2011 (RadioWest) - According to a recent report, Utah’s unique caucus system gives more power to convention delegates than any other state. Another report showed that caucus delegates don’t represent mainstream Utah voters. A newly formed group of politicos is fed up with the system and they want to change the way Utahns pick their candidates. A diverse panel of guests will join Doug on Thursday to discuss the state’s nominating system, how it does or doesn’t work, … Continued

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Cut Caucus-Convention Power

December 07, 2011 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Gov. Jon Huntsman’s Commission on Strengthening Utah’s Democracy worked diligently to determine why Utah’s voter participation had tanked from leading the nation in voter turnout to a ranking that is now a miserable 50 percent. According to Commission Chair and Hinckley Institute of Politics Director Kirk Jowers, “The 800-pound gorilla of our democratic malaise is the caucus-and-convention system.”

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Public education’s biggest problem is funding

December 01, 2011 (Deseret News) - Utah’s No. 1 education challenge unquestionably is funding. Utah’s revenues are slowly improving. Forbes Magazine has again named Utah as the best state for business. It’s time for the Legislature to reinvest in the future and the students if we are to maintain that status.

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Former governor seeks changes in Utah voting system

November 25, 2011 (The Examiner) - Utah’s system of caucuses and conventions allows a small number of delegates -3,500 republicans and 2,700 democrats – to decide how we vote. If you are a delegate, you have power. If you are in a political minority or not a delegate, in Utah, you are dead in the water. Former Republican Governor Mike Leavitt thinks it’s time for a change.

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