RESOLUTION TO RESTORE PARTY NOMINATION RIGHTS AND FULL REPEAL OF SB54
Sponsored by Casey Gale
Adopted by the State Central Committee on September 7, 2024
WHEREAS, The Utah Republican Party has long held the principle that the selection of its candidates for partisan public office is a fundamental right and privilege of its members, the delegates, and the governing body;
WHEREAS, In 2014, the Utah Legislature passed, and the Governor (Gary Herbert) signed, Senate Bill 54 (SB54 sponsored by Curtis Bramble and Dan McCay), which altered the manner in which the Utah Republican Party nominates its candidates for partisan public office, effectively disenfranchising the party by imposing a dual-path nominating process;
WHEREAS, We believe this legislation undermines the Utah Republican Party's freedom of association rights by allowing candidates to bypass the party's traditional caucus-convention system and directly seek nomination through a signature-gathering process;
WHEREAS, The delegates and the governing body of the Utah Republican Party have consistently expressed strong opposition to the 2014 law, SB54, emphasizing that it diminishes the role and voice of the party’s members in the candidate selection process;
WHEREAS, The Utah Republican Party firmly believes that its members should have the exclusive right to determine the process by which its candidates are nominated, free from government interference;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the governing body of the Utah Republican Party formally calls upon the Utah Legislature to repeal in full, the 2014 law, SB54 and restore the party’s sole authority to determine its candidate nomination process; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Utah Republican Party calls on the Legislature to recognize and respect the party’s freedom of association rights as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Utah State Constitution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to all members of the Utah Legislature, the Governor of Utah, and other relevant stakeholders to underscore the urgent need for legislative action to protect the rights of the Utah Republican Party and its members by a full repeal of the 2014 bill, SB54.
CO-SPONSORS
Connie Peterson, Neil Sebring, John Harvey, Kevin Richardson, Rick Mayer, Paul Mackley, Dan Spencer, Blaine Nay, Kim DelGrosso, Teena Horlacher, Becky Hope, Cam Jones, David Pyne, Goud Maragani, Jennifer Garner, Lowell Nelson, Alexia Preston, Mari Eddy, Fred Cox, Cindy Cossairt, Robert McEntee, Whit Cook, Ty Eddy, Gary Leany, Rod Daniells, Olivia Dawn, Thomas Young, Cristy Henshaw, Jason Hackett, Alvin Guo, Natalie Levi, Charles Wood, Thomas Young, Jon-David Jorgensen, Juan Valladares, Lyndon Brittner