Reader comments
Utah voters shun labels

There should be no restrictions to vote, regardless of party. This is unconstituional and violates my rights to vote for candidates. Anyone voting a straight party line is only provoking bad government by allowing other than personal choice of candidates. Voting should have no party affiliation requirement in any election, otherwise it is an invalid election where it does not allow voter choice. When voters are told they can't vote is bad for the nation and bad for peoples representation. The primary's are too critical and decisive in who is electeted as president of this country and voters should have every choice, even multi-party primary voting should be allowed. Every party has good and bad choices to represent and we need to vote the person, not the party. Government should be filled with debate and argument on all issues and party affiliation discounted. This type of party government has gotten the US economy in trouble and the people have lost representation and faith in our government leaders.

If you download the petition from the Libertarian Party of Utah's web site, sign your name, and mail it in, you can help Libertarians become recognized by the State of Utah once again.

Lack of commitment is a sad thing.

Obviously your people don't read the Salt Lake Tribune and it's bigoted posters. They're sure the LDS vote 100% Republican and have the stupid sayings to prove it.

The truth dies a hard death, lies live on forever.

So, if unaffiliated, do we need to prove that at the polls or can we just show up, say we're unaffiliated?

I used to live in a state with open primaries. If I thought election of someone in one party was a foregone conclusion, I would often vote with the other party. I'd always pick whomever I thought was the strongest candidate in the party I voted.

I've always wanted the choice in the general election to be difficult--not the lesser of two evils, but the greater of two strengths.

I want Democrats picking the candidates for the Republican Party. That will make the Republican Party stronger.

Riiight!

Actually Bob, the primary vote is not the vote to elect public officials. It's a vote to choose who represents a particular political party at the general election. The Constitution actually guarantees the right of association. What that means is if you Bob G, want to start your own party and set up rules to that only people with the first name of "Bob" can represent it, you have the perfect right to do so. Just like the rest of us have the right to not vote for your candidate. A closed primary doesn't violate anyone's rights. Any issues surrounding it are purely political.

So the article doesn't mention libertarians...does that mean that they are also now considered unaffiliated as well?

There was so much confusion about this that I thought I had to register as a Republican before the primaries. Every news site is stating something different and it's extremely frustrating finding the facts.

To all of you (and I know there are a lot of you)who plan to vote for RON PAUL (he's the best!) this is great news because you don't have to sell yourself to the Republican party and you can still vote with your conscience. GO RON PAUL on February 5th!

Ken J. are you saying lack of Commitment to a party is a sad thing? Why should I commit to either party when neither represents what I believe? I personally am committed to what I believe, just not to a political party.

Jon, if you are unaffiliated, that means that is how you are registered to vote. On your voter registration, you register either as a Democrat, Republican, Constitution Party member or unaffiliated. If you are registered as a member of any party, you will show up as such on the voter lists at the polling place; if you are registered unaffiliated, that's how you'll show up.

Actually, FFG, you've got that wrong: You do still have to "sell yourself to the Republican Party" if you want to vote for Ron Paul (or any of the other GOP candidates) on Tuesday. You must be registered Republican to vote in the Republican primary. The Democrats require you to be registered as a Democrat or unaffiliated; the Republicans require you to be registered as Republican. Unaffiliated voters cannot vote in the Republican primary unless they change their registration to Republican. If you are currently unaffiliated, you can do that onsite at the polling place; if you are currently registered with another party, you must change that in person at the county clerk's office today or tomorrow.

How Utahn's register is a slight thing compared to how they vote. How they vote is a sad disgrace to our fine constitution and the majority's fine freedom loving gospel. Utahn's vote for the wolf every time, fleece notwithstanding.

In the heat of battle, too many of us forget that the purpose of a primary is to provide a platform for each party to choose its candidate. Where allowed, cross voting encourages voters of the opposing party to possibly sabotage the process and select a weaker candidate that could be more easily defeated in the general election. Bob G.'s thoughts in the first comment, are a recipe for disaster. He falsely promotes it by wrapping it in a blanket of hallowed words. Most will overlook his nescience, But we must not ignore his dangerous idea. Likewise, I applaud the "previous experience"; (why are you folks afraid to identify yourselves?) "Prev." Your honesty is admirable, but your intentions are wrong. You are adept, but meddling. I wonder how a person can honestly evaluate the strongest candidate if he did not internalize the values of that party and candidate. Few if any can mask their values so well. Multiplied by thousands your act weakens and will eventually destroy the electoral process. Few are so skilled. The process was never perfect, but after two hundred years of muddling through it still is the best. We deserve the government we elect.

LOOK AT UTAH IN THE PAST WHEN MAJORITY OF THE LDS CULTURE WAS CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN AND ALL OF SUDDEN OVER NIGHT WHEN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY IS UPSET AND HOLLYWOOD IS AGAINST EVERYTHING THE REP's DO. THE GOOD OL LDS COMMUNITY DOES WHAT's POPULAR AND GOES AGAINST THEIR BELIEFS FOR THE SAKE OF NOT LOOKING BAD OR UNCOOL. WAY TO CONFORM YOU PECULIAR PEOPLE.

This requirement by the Republicans is just one more reason to be a Democrat.

The statistic is misleading. In Salt Lake County, the county clerk's office REGULARLY disregarded party affiliation (when registering a new voter) until the Republicans closed their primary. I know of not a few voters who had to request their affiliation be recorded numerous times to have it published on the rolls.
Before it mattered for the primary (and now considering how few voters avail themselves of the privilege of the primary vote) no one paid any attention to their indicated affiliation.

I'm registered "no affiliation" BECAUSE of my LDS beliefs. I first registered to vote before my conversion to the Church and saw no reason to switch. The reason I registered that way in the first place was because I felt I didn't know enough about either party to commit one way or the other. Now I know more, and I feel because I strive for 100-percent commitment to the Gospel, that I can't honestly offer that same kind of commitment to either party. Both major parties do things I like but both do things I don't like.

This is just my choice, however, and shouldn't be taken as a directive to anyone else or being representative of every Latter-day Saint.

as in "ethnic cleansing"

"I" asked: "So the article doesn't mention libertarians...does that mean that they are also now considered unaffiliated as well?"

I'd say so. Check with the county clerk to see if your party affiliation has been changed. I wonder if the Election Code calls for this disaffiliation?