Thursday, August 29, 2013

Count My Vote vs Fair Elections in Utah who is funding the Buy My Vote group

Major Count My Vote funding so far released. 

Alliance for Good Government
http://disclosures.utah.gov/Search/PublicSearch/FolderDetails/1411317

8/20/2013 Gail Miller   $100,000.00

12/17/2013 James Swartz $25,000.00
12/6/2013 Leslie and Alan Layton $25,000.00
11/22/2013 Ian M. Cumming $25,000.00
11/4/2013 Thomas and Kristin Stockham $25,000.00
10/18/2013 Prime Holdings Insurance Services, Inc. $25,000.00
9/3/2013 Mike Leavitt  $25,000.00
9/3/2013 Rich McKeown $25,000.00
8/26/2013 Garff Enterprises, Inc. $25,000.00
8/26/2013 H. Roger Boyer $25,000.00
8/26/2013 Maccall Management, LLC $25,000.00
8/26/2013 Merit Medical $25,000.00
8/23/2013 Dell Loy Hansen $25,000.00
8/23/2013 Donald and Susan P. Lewon $25,000.00
8/23/2013 John Price $25,000.00
8/22/2013 Kem C. and Carolyn Barnes Gardner $25,000.00
8/20/2013 H. Brent Beesley $25,000.00
8/7/2013 Mark Miller $25,000.00
7/18/2013 Dinesh Patel $25,000.00
7/18/2013 Gary Crocker $25,000.00

9/13/2013 Sandy Chamber of Commerce $24,000.00

12/28/2013 L E Simmons $20,000.00

10/9/2013 Khosrow B. Semnani $15,000.00

8/13/2013 Burton L. and Elaine L. Gordon $12,500.00

12/31/2013 John Miller $10,000.00
12/30/2013 David E. Simmons $10,000.00
12/26/2013 Dan England $10,000.00
12/11/2013 Anne Osborn $10,000.00
8/27/2013 JLS Holdings, LLC $10,000.00
8/12/2013 ThomasArts Holding, Inc. $10,000.00
7/11/2013 Bruce Bastian $10,000.00
7/10/2013 Omar Kader $10,000.00
5/7/2012 Khosrow B. Semnani $10,000.00
4/24/2012 William Nelson Shiebler $10,000.00
4/20/2012 Dell Loy Hansen $10,000.00
4/16/2012 Lunt Capital Management, Inc. $10,000.00

12/13/2013 Gail Miller $9,000.00
11/13/2013 Gail Miller $9,000.00

12/31/2013 Scott Keller $5,000.00
12/20/2013 R. Anthony Sweet $5,000.00
12/4/2013 Thomas Guinney $5,000.00
11/22/2013 Kristen M Fletcher $5,000.00
11/6/2013 Victor and Linda Lund $5,000.00
11/4/2013 E R Dumke, Jr. $5,000.00
10/16/2013 Ezekiel Dumke $5,000.00
9/30/2013 Edward McCartney $5,000.00

11/4/2013 Lonnie M. Bullard $3,000.00

12/31/2013 Clark and Jennifer Whitworth $2,500.00
12/31/2013 Don Stirling $2,500.00
12/30/2013 James Olson $2,500.00


The caucus & convention system in Utah is the best way to make sure a grassroots process can win over large amounts of money. It is the only way someone with $100,000 can go against someone with $2 million in election funds.

Our problem with voter turnout is it has not kept up with the population increase. The voter turnout keeps going up but not as fast as the population. Some of that is the younger voters, where Utah has a larger percentage of them and they aren't, as a group, as involved. Also those moving in and not understanding our system.

If you change the way our Utah primary's work, you could have two republicans in the general election ballot (or two democrats).
 

We have a system that that does NOT favor the incumbent, wealthy or famous. This is a good thing. Keep Fair Elections in Utah. Keep the neighborhood caucus election system.  

Update:
I am glad Gail Miller is keeping involved. Helping children with reading.

It is sad she bought into the Count My Vote / Buy My Vote arguments however. Didn't Chris Cannon have endorsements from Pres. Bush, Mitt Romney and both of the then current US Senators at the time? Jason Chaffetz still won.

re: Sen. Bennett in 2010. He was not in the top 2 coming out of convention. In fact the more moderate Tim Bridgewater was selected by 57% of the delegates in the last round. Mike Lee managed to get 43% and make it to a primary. Sen. Bennett endorsed Tim Bridgewater during the primary, but with voters ticked at TARP and ObamaCare, they went with Mike Lee.
 

You like or don't like Sen. Mike Lee? Well 57% of the delegates didn't pick him to be the nominee. It was during the primary he was selected to be the GOP nominee.
 

Limiting? There were over 120,000 voters that participated in the 2012 Neighborhood Caucus election and meeting. The democratic caucus also had record turnout. People want a say on who shows up on the ballot.
 

The open primary is working so well in 2013 where 15% was considered good? You can't blame that on the caucus system. The one time Utah got rid of the caucus system our turnout went to 10% for a primary that included the US Senate. It was even that low in Salt Lake County. See August of 1946.

For more information see:
http://fairelectionsutah.com/