Many are in the dark on caucuses

Have we given up on our grass-roots democracy and the principle of representation?

My husband and I just returned from our neighborhood caucus meeting. If you weren't aware of these, you are not alone. My husband estimated our precinct probably includes about 500 registered voters and only 34 people showed up. This appears to be status quo, because they only had one classroom ready for us to meet in.

Do you know how many people elected our chair/state delegate for our precinct — the individual who selects who we get to vote on as a Republican Party (the candidate who will most likely be elected in Utah)? Only 18 people. Other precincts had similar turnouts. We estimated with this information, about 3 percent of registered voters in our area will actually have a voice in whom their representatives will be.

Wow!

As I have discussed this with friends, many seem to be in the dark about what a caucus is all about. They feel like their civic duty does not require anything more than voting on Election Day. According to Joe Pyrah of the Daily Herald, "A caucus is a group of voters in a precinct (geographical boundary about the size of an elementary school boundary) who get together to talk out political issues. It is the roots of grass roots. Attendees are supposed to be members of the same (political) party."

We need to stop and think when we vote about how the person on our ballot got there. It was through the delegates who chose them. These delegates came from the caucus meetings held in your neighborhood — delegates we should all have a voice in selecting.

I think two simple actions could help to remedy this predicament. First, we need better announcements about when and where the caucus meetings are being held. I looked on Provo city's Web site for this information and I received a list dated in 2006 — which sent me to the wrong location. I believe the media and local cities can do a better job to make the process of finding your caucus location much more user-friendly.

Second, I will end as I began, we must believe in the power of grass-roots democracy and the principle of representation. Our nation cannot meet its fullest capacity when close to 97 percent of its citizens choose to sit back and not be a part of the process.

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Katie Steed is a resident of Provo.