Letter to State Delegates from Derek Brown

Dear State Delegate, I would like to thank you for being willing to serve as a delegate to the 2020 Utah Republican Party Nominating Convention. Although you may have served in past years, this year will provide you an opportunity to represent your precinct in one of the most memorable elections Utah has ever experienced!  As a party, we are working hard to prepare for an exciting and unique convention. Like many organizations that are adjusting to our current environment, the Utah Republican Party is no different.  We have a dedicated 2020 Convention Committee that has been diligently working around the clock to prepare for our online convention on April 25th.  COVID-19 has forced us to “be still” as a society and has made it more challenging for our candidates to get their message out to delegates. Though some may simply bemoan the inability to engage in “business as usual,” I view it as a tremendous opportunity for you to witness--first hand--how well these candidates navigate difficult circumstances.  Having served as an elected official, I can assure you that public office is nothing more than a daily exercise in problem-solving. Might I suggest to you that how each candidate responds to these unique circumstances will tell you volumes about how they will make decisions in office?  And you, the delegate, now have a coveted front-row seat to observe them as they showcase to you--in real-time--their leadership skills. Your job as a delegate is to study the candidates, participate in their virtual town halls, call them, ask them questions, and do your homework. The job of the candidates is to reach out to you, using whatever method they can, and help you understand why they are the best choice. The job of the party is to provide a level playing field, educate you on the voting and convention process, and facilitate your decision making leading up to convention on April 25th. If, for whatever reason, you cannot serve as a delegate, please contact your county party leadership. It is the responsibility of the county party--not the candidates--to find a replacement if a delegate is unable to serve.  Also please know that in the month leading up to the convention, the party will not endorse any candidate. Please look for an email in the next day or so with instructions on downloading and getting registered with the secure voting software system we will be using for the convention. When you receive the email, do not wait until the week of the convention to register, but begin that process immediately. It is my goal to have all state delegates ready to go well before the convention on April 25th. As your chair, I want you to know how grateful I am for your service. I have already seen a level of engagement by delegates in just this past week that rivals anything we have seen at this time in past election years. Because of the unique circumstances of this election year, I am convinced that we will see higher levels of delegate interest and involvement leading up to the 2020 convention than in any past year in memory. With gratitude, Derek E. Brown Chair, Utah Republican Party

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New Rules for Signature Gathering Because of Quarantine

Gov. Herbert Suspends Sections of Utah Statute Regarding Signature Gathering

March 26, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY (March 26, 2020) – In order to better accommodate social distancing measures that help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Gary R. Herbert has issued an Executive Order suspending certain sections of state statute regarding requirements on signature gathering. 

Specifically, the order suspends the requirement that petition packets be bound prior to circulation and that a circulator personally witness each signature. Accordingly, the following actions are now permitted:

1. A candidate may send or make available an electronic copy of the signature page of a signature packet to any interested voter. The candidate is not required to furnish a cover page or circulator page to the interested voter.
2. An interested voter may print and physically sign the signature page.
3. The interested voter may send the pages back to the candidate via regular mail, fax, or e-mail.
4. The candidate may assemble any returned signature pages and then submit the signature packet to the election officer in-person or via designated agent. The packet does not require a circulator page.

The governor has issued the following statement: 

“This is a matter of fairness and preserving the integrity of our election process in these unusual times,” Gov. Herbert said. “By easing certain requirements of the signature gathering process, but requiring that signatures be verified by the State after submission, this order strikes the appropriate balance in preserving a signature gathering path to the ballot, even as Utahns follow orders and recommendations regarding social distancing.”

These decisions were made in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and former Lieutenant Governor Gayle McKeachnie, who has been working with the elections office in an advisory capacity since May of 2019. See here for the memo detailing Mr. McKeachnie’s advisory role. Given his status as a gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox was not involved in the decision process.

You can view the full order here.

The elections office has also drafted a memo with answers to frequently asked questions. You can view it here.

Message from the Salt Lake County Republican Secretary

Dear County leadership team, This letter is to inform you of the current situation regarding Caucus and Convention due to the Corona Virus (COVID-19).  During our last State Central Committee meeting, the body voted overwhelmingly to give State Chairman Brown the authorization to make adjustments to our Caucuses/Conventions as a precaution if the virus became widespread.  In an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19, Governor Herbert requests that people across the state limit gatherings of 100 healthy people for the next 2 weeks. He also recommends limiting the size of groups to 20 people who are over 60 years old. Due to the Governor’s announcement, school districts quickly canceled our Caucus reservations. State Chairman Brown followed suit and announced a postponement of our Caucuses.  I believe this was the right thing to do to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. As a result, all of our delegates who were elected in the 2018 Caucuses will continue serving our County and State Conventions in their current capacity.  This is in keeping with our bylaws and is accepted by the candidates and State GOP as a whole. Our County Convention will be conducted as scheduled on April 18, 2020.  Due to the Corona Virus, we will make modifications so we adhere to the Governor and Chairmen's recommendation regarding gatherings of 100 or more.  Our Convention will be virtual and elections will be the only business conducted.  In order to allow everyone to participate, balloting will be open for 24 hours and Convention will technically extend over a period of two, perhaps three days.  More details will follow.  Precinct Chairs   Your Legislative Chairs will be contacting you, providing details on the process of record reconciliation.  You will receive written training and log on information regarding the VETI Technologies App. If you are an active Precinct Chair, please start contacting your delegates immediately and make sure they are able to participate in our modified Convention.  If a delegate is unable to participate or if he or she has vacated their seat, YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO APPOINT a replacement.  If you are replacing a delegate, please enter the replacement information in the VETI app and forward the reason for vacating to your Legislative Chair. These are difficult times.  Please know your leadership team is on top of this situation and we will prevail. Thank you for your time, your efforts, and commitment to keep our principles and party strong. PS.  Due to COVID-19 and the changes to our Caucuses and Convention, our fundraising will be greatly diminished.  I ask each and every one of you to step up and become a member of our E-Club.  This is an urgent ask!  You may make a one-time donation or better yet, become a sustaining member here;  https://www.slcogop.com/e-club.html   Remember, many hands make light work! * The VETI Technologies App has been donated, free of charge, to our county party.

Message from Derek Brown - State Republican Party Chairman

View this email in your browser Dear Republican friend, What an eventful week we have had, including the unexpected “wake up call” many of us received yesterday. With all of the uncertainty this past week, I am writing to let you know that one thing is still certain:  the Utah Republican Party is organized, unified, and looking forward to our 2020 Nominating Convention which will take place on April 25th. While we will not have an in-person convention as in past years, we are moving full-steam ahead with our convention preparations. I am excited to announce that our 2020 Convention Committee is incorporating technology into this year’s convention process that will encourage a higher level of participation by our delegates than we have ever seen before. In preparation for our convention, I would like to briefly answer some of the most common questions I have received.  With caucus night postponed, who will serve as delegates? Our state delegates serve until they are replaced by newly-elected delegates. Because delegates elected in 2018 have not been replaced, they will continue to serve, and will be given an opportunity to participate in the upcoming convention.  What if a delegate can no longer serve? Each county party has a simple process for replacing a state delegate who cannot serve. It is not the job of a candidate to replace the delegate—it is the job of the county party to manage the replacement of delegates.      Will the nominating convention be canceled? Definitely not! Our convention will still take place next month, though it will look different than our past conventions. It will involve candidates reaching out electronically to delegates, and utilizing technology in new and innovative ways. In fact, I am convinced that we will see human ingenuity and creativity at its finest, providing our delegates more actual opportunities for interaction with candidates than in any previous year.  Will this online convention process be fair to the candidates? Absolutely! Just as our party has had to adapt to changing conditions, our candidates are also showing us how well they can adapt—a skill they will certainly need if elected. We are committed to supporting our candidates in reaching out to the delegates, helping to provide the tools they need to do so, and making sure the process is fair and even more accessible than our traditional, in-person convention.      How will voting take place? I have finalized an agreement with a reputable, well-known, and secure online voting company. There are government entities here in Utah that already use this company to manage the electronic voting of Utah residents who are overseas serving in the military. As a party, we will provide technical support and assistance to our delegates to help them use the voting software.   Do you need volunteers?  Yes! Instead of volunteers to help us with logistics at a large convention center, we will need volunteers to help with our virtual/online operations. Please email volunteer@utgop.org if you are willing to help.  Can I donate to help with the costs of an online convention?  As a party, we spent over $30,000 preparing for a caucus night next week, and now we have tens of thousands dollars of new costs associated with the new convention plans. If you are willing to help defray these costs, please contact the party, or contact me directly.  John Adams once said that “every problem is an opportunity in disguise.” I view these challenges as the Utah Republican Party’s opportunity in disguise. It is a chance to reevaluate the way voters interact with us, reinvigorate our caucus/convention system, and explain to a rising generation what it means to be conservative. Our 2020 Utah Republican Party Convention will not only be memorable, but it will also be an amazing experience for our delegates who have the opportunity to participate. I am committed to making sure that the overall level of participation by our delegates between now and April 25th exceeds that of any prior convention. With so many uncertainties today, conservative principles like advocating for limited government, promoting free-market solutions, and creating a society where our sisters and brothers can truly flourish, are principles that we will need more than ever before.   My fellow party officers and I are grateful for your service and commitment to the Utah Republican Party, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.                                                                               Sincerely, Derek Brown Chairman, Utah Republican Party Donate Copyright © 2019 Utah Republican Party All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 15 West South Temple Suite #250 Salt Lake City, UT 84041 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.