GOP may pre-empt voters

What may appear to be a small housekeeping item at the state Republican Party candidate nominating convention in May could allow state GOP delegates to keep Utahns from voting on GOP gubernatorial and congressional candidates in the June primary.

While a proposed convention voting rule change may look insignificant, the ultimate outcome could be huge, with who serves as Utah governor the next four years and who goes to the U.S. House for the next two in the balance.

Chris Bleak, state GOP executive director, said Wednesday that a recent state party central committee recommended to May 8 convention delegates that a new final-run-off ballot take place in close, contested races after a previous "preferential ballot" had winnowed large candidate fields down to two candidates.

If the 3,500 delegates — who adopt their rules as the first item on the convention agenda — follow the central committee's advice, then later in the day the top two candidates would face each other in a new round of voting. If one received 60 percent of the delegate vote on that final ballot, then there would be no June GOP primary in that race.

"I don't agree" with the proposed rule change, said Republican Jon Huntsman Jr., who is running for governor this year.

"I always want more Republican voters" making candidate selection decisions. The proposed rule could end up "taking away the primary election" from many Republican voters, Huntsman said. He added he'll ask state delegates pledged to him to vote against the rule change.

Fred Lampropoulos, another GOP gubernatorial candidate, said while he's not yet opposed to the rule change, "I'm concerned that delegates will leave after the quick (preferential) ballot" in the morning. "It's a long, hard day (at the convention), and I'm worried some people won't get to the final vote."

Bleak said he believes the delegates will opt for the final run-off vote but will make it apply to future years, not to this election year. Bleak added that the decision on the new balloting procedure is in delegates' hands.

Several years ago, a Republican state convention voted to "close" future GOP primaries. In the 2002 primary election, registered voters who had previously declared themselves independents — not registered as any party member — could, at their polling place, sign up to be a Republican and then pick up a Republican ballot.

Registered Democrats were barred from the GOP primary. The law said independents couldn't pick a party at the polls in future primaries.