Utah Democrats eager for primary

Utah Democrats are hoping to have some influence in the national race to choose their party's presidential candidate by holding their primary election early, on Feb. 24.

"This primary is happening at a critical time where it's still a horse race. Only 24 percent of the delegates will have been selected. So every vote does matter as to who the Democratic nominee will be," Utah State Democratic Party Chairman Donald Dunn said Wednesday.

Utah's Democratic primary follows the Iowa caucus, held Monday, and 17 state primaries. On March 2 and 9, so-called "Super Tuesdays," primary elections will be held in 15 states including California, New York and Texas.

In Utah, the state political party is footing the bill for the statewide election, which is expected to cost at least $30,000. With President Bush the undisputed Republican nominee, the GOP-dominated Utah Legislature decided not to fund a presidential primary.

Polling places will be set up in every county, Democratic Party leaders said, in public libraries and on some university and college campuses, including Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.

The election is open to Utah residents who will be at least 18 years old by the Nov. 2 general election. Participants do not have to be registered voters or even belong to the Democratic Party. However, they will have to sign a declaration form stating they're participating in the election as Democrats and agree to allow the party to contact them about getting involved in future events.

Dunn said he is not concerned about Republican voters affecting the outcome.

Absentee ballots will also be available, but the party nixed the idea of allowing votes to be cast via the Internet. Dunn said it was determined that online voting would be too expensive to set up and too difficult to make secure.

Also Tuesday, representatives of seven Democrats who will appear on the ballot drew straws to determine the order in which they will be listed. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark will be first, followed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Gephardt, who dropped out of the race after a poor showing in Monday's Iowa caucus, will stay on the ballot, Dunn said, adding that other candidates may also be out of the running by the end of February.

Kerry's first-place finish and Edwards' strong second in Iowa shook up the race for the Democratic nomination and put frontrunner Dean on the defensive. Clark and Lieberman did not campaign in Iowa.

Clark is expected to do well in Utah, according to his state spokeswoman, Meg Holbrook. "He represents moderate, mainstream Utah values. He's fiscally conservative. He's big on national security. He's not a career politician."

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