Count My Vote leaders strike deal to end ballot drive The Salt Lake Tr...

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1 of 5 3/1/2014 3:45 PM You have reached the cached page for http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57614065-90/ballot-bramble-candidates-convention.html.

1 1 of 5 3/1/2014 3:45 PM You have reached the cached page for Below is a snapshot of the Web page as it appeared on 2/28/2014. This is the version of the page that was used for ranking your search results. The page may have changed since it was last cached. To see what might have changed (without the highlights), go to the current page. You searched for: We have highlighted matching words that appear in the page below. Yahoo! is not responsible for the content of this page. Saturday, March 1, 2014 Last Updated: 11:37 pm Politics SEARCH Salt Lake City 49 Light Rain Traffic News Sports Blogs Opinion Money Lifestyle Entertainment Obituaries Jobs Homes Cars Marketplace Deals Subscribe Utah Nation + World Politics Justice Polygamy LDS Church Education Weather UtahsRight.com TribTalk Rolly Get breaking news alerts via SIGN UP Click here to manage your alerts Count My Vote leaders strike deal to end ballot drive Petition drive to stop» Bargain would keep caucuses, but also allow candidates to get on the primary ballot with petition signatures. By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune First Published Feb :50 pm Updated 1 hour ago Organizers of the Count My Vote initiative struck a deal Friday with legislators to pull the plug on an initiative to overhaul Utah s nominating system after being assured candidates would be given a new path to the primary ballot without going through party caucuses and conventions. The group, which had spent more than $1 million gathering 100,000-plus signatures on a voter initiative aimed at instituting direct primaries to nominate candidates, notified supporters and volunteers Friday night in a conference call that it would abandon the effort once the compromise is signed into law. Like Photos Tweet 32 View photo gallery (1 photos) Related Stories Count My Vote counts supporters, opponents... Published February 24, 2014 Big boost: Mitt Romney backs Count My Vote Published February 24, 2014 Trib Talk: SB54 takes on Count My Vote Published February 25, 2014 Join the Discussion Post a Comment 0 Organizers have negotiated a deal with Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, that would create a process where candidates could get on a party s primary election ballot by gathering enough signatures rather than going through the caucus-and-convention process. The political parties would get to keep their existing caucus system where delegates chosen at neighborhood gatherings typically choose nominees at the party conventions but would also be required to accept the alternative path to the primary ballot. "I m very pleased with the bill," said Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah and one of the founders of Count My Vote. "It follows the hybrid model that Count My Vote initially favored before turning to the direct primary." The group has planned a news conference at the Capitol for 11 a.m. Saturday to formally announce details of the deal. Bramble s SB54, which would enact the changes, is scheduled to go before a House committee Monday morning. Bramble would not confirm that a deal had been reached or discuss specifics, but did say he would be at the news conference Saturday. "There have been substantive discussions between members of the Legislature and Count My Vote and we re hopeful a resolution can be reached that will bring some positive reforms to the electoral process," Bramble said. Popular Stories 1. Fight erupts after Utah Valley men beat New Mexico S UVU basketball: New Mexico State players suspended a Does Mormon modesty mantra reduce women to sex objec Utah Jazz s Greg Miller bounces into Undercover Bos Gutted e-cigarette bill clears House Click here to view more Staying Connected

2 of 5 3/1/2014 3:45 PM According to sources familiar with the deal, in order to be recognized as a "qualified political party," the party would have to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in its

A candidate who chooses not to go through the party-convention gantlet could gather a number of signatures from registered voters and advance to the primary ballot. SLCDailyDeal.

2 2 of 5 3/1/2014 3:45 PM According to sources familiar with the deal, in order to be recognized as a "qualified political party," the party would have to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in its primaries, allow absentee voting for delegates at the party convention, and accept an alternative path to the ballot. A candidate who chooses not to go through the party-convention gantlet could gather a number of signatures from registered voters and advance to the primary ballot. SLCDailyDeal.com $29 FURNACE OR A/C TUNE-UP story continues below VIEW DEAL Prep hockey: Viewmont defeats Park City 3-2 for state title Published Feb 28, :13:01PM Police search for missing Millcreek man Published Feb 28, :56:01PM Videos Philip Seymour Hoffman died of a deadly mix of drugs: ME 2A boys basketball: Enterprise staves off comeback to reach title game Published Feb 28, :38:01PM Utah gymnastics: Utes rout Washington Published Feb 28, :34:01PM Under the proposed plan, a candidate running for statewide office would need to collect signatures from 28,000 voters to advance to the primary ballot. A quarter of that number would be needed to run for one of the four congressional seats. State Senate candidates would need to gather 2,000 signatures and House candidates would need half that number. The signatures could come from any registered voter, regardless of party. Candidates could begin collecting signatures on Jan. 1 of the election year and would be required to file the same campaign-finance reports as other candidates. Count My Vote began gathering signatures last September, arguing that the caucus-convention system excludes people who can t attend the caucuses, under-represents women, and yields candidates who are outside the mainstream. They recommended having candidates square off in direct primaries for the party nomination. The earlier version of Bramble s SB54 would have incorporated direct primaries, but also would have given parties a broad avenue to circumvent those direct primaries essentially nullifying the initiative if they complied with certain requirements regarding absentee voting and the level of support a nominee would need to avoid a primary. Jobs Alta Ridge Assisted Living C.n.a. â Nursing Alta Ridge Communit... Teleperformance Usa Featured Description: Job Summary: Pur... Anytime Road Service Lead Auto Technician: Well Established... Biofire Diagnostics Biofire Diagnostics Is Seeking A Produ... Beehive Insurance Agency Insurance - Excellent Opportunity For... Count My Vote had publicly denounced Bramble s bill, suggesting it was a cynical attempt to suppress the ability of voters to make their voice heard through a ballot initiative. They had rolled out endorsements from former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and long-time U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, who also gave the effort $50,000 from his political-action committee, records show. This week, the group said it had gathered 100,000 of the roughly 102,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot, although it did not say if it had gathered the signatures in 26 of the 29 Senate districts, as is required to put the measure on the ballot. Utah Republican Party Chairman James Evans said he was notified when negotiations were underway, but the GOP wasn t involved in the talks partly because being at the table for the compromise could hinder a future legal challenge to SB54. Next Page > Copyright 2014 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Contests and Promotions From The Web (Sponsored)

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PERRIS VALLEY LINE: Rep. Ken Calvert calls decision outrage

1 of 5 Cars Homes Jobs Member Center/Welcome Sign In P-Edition Login Advertise News Local Issues Photos Blogs Obituaries Marketplace Site Map PERRIS VALLEY LINE: Rep. Ken Calvert calls decision outrage