A huge political day in Utah

Tomorrow is the most important day in Utah politics in at least 10 years, maybe more. From it, Utah may well veer into new directions that define its future for years to come.

If you are a regular Utahn, chances are you'll hardly notice what is going on at the South Towne Expo Center and at the Salt Palace. But if you are a delegate, the weight of responsibility will weigh heavily amid an air of excitement and expectation.

Both major political parties will hold their state conventions, but the Republican one, in which eight candidates are vying for a shot to become the party's nominee for governor, is attracting most of the attention.

That's to be expected in a mostly Republican state. But it is even more so tomorrow because most experts are predicting an outcome that does not necessarily reflect the wishes of voters statewide.

Ask average Utahns who they want to be the Republican gubernatorial nominee and they line up the candidates a certain way. Ask convention delegates the same thing, and the lineup comes out much differently. Why? The short answer is that people dedicated to ideologies and specific issues tend to be more motivated to get involved than people who are merely good citizens intending to vote their consciences in November. But this puts a special burden on those who are voting tomorrow as delegates.

There is nothing inherently undemocratic in the caucus system that parties in Utah use to select convention delegates. Concerned citizens meet in neighborhood meetings and select delegates through a secret ballot after listening to speeches and asking questions. And yet the proportion of women at the conventions tomorrow will be far smaller than it is statewide, and there will be relatively few representatives of minority groups.

Clarion calls for more involvement from the state's vast middle tend to echo across a wasteland of indifference, and yet the people who cull the Republican herd to, as expected, two candidates in a variety of races, not just the one for governor, are the ones who wield the most power in the state. Those who stayed home on the evening of their caucus have little cause to complain about their choices in a primary election.

This has been the most expensive race for governor among Republicans in Utah history. Already, the candidates have spent $4.6 million combined, and it all has been directed at the 3,500 people who will vote tomorrow. That translates into roughly $1,314 per person. Many delegates have been wooed with meals and other expensive gimmicks. No doubt, tomorrow they will see impressive videos, as well as possibly marching bands and other eye-catching effects. Judging from the polls, many delegates remain undecided.

We caution them to vote based on reason, not glitz. The future is in their hands.