Before Caucus Night
To participate in Caucus Night you must be a registered Republican.
- If you are not registered to vote, or not declared as a Republican, go to the vote.utah.gov to register, or update your registration.
- You must be a US Citizen, and 18 by the day of the General Election to register.
- If you have recently moved, update your address on your registration at vote.utah.gov, so your registration shows the correct precinct.
- If your voter registration marked as WITHHELD (which keeps your registration from the party), plan on extra time and hassle to verify your registration, because the precinct will have no record of you.
- Lookup your voter registration on vote.utah.gov so you can show it to the check-in volunteer at you caucus.
Your Precinct, similar to a large neighborhood, is a specific area, and Republicans from that area come together for a Caucus Meeting.
- Visit the Precinct & Caucus Information page.
- Allow your web browser to locate you, or enter your address.
- Your precinct and caucus location will be looked up.
Precinct Members will be voting to elect:
- Precinct Chair
- Precinct Vice-Chair
- Precinct Secretary/Treasurer
- State Delegates
- County Delegates
Each of these roles has important responsibilities to ensure the voice of your precinct is represented at the County Party and State Party.
Learn more about these positions and their responsibilities on the Precinct Positions page.
Find out who is running for precinct positions by visiting your precinct Facebook group/page, or asking friends and neighbors, or your Precinct Chair.
- Learn about what principles and values are important to them.
- What are their thoughts on the Party Platform, and do they support it?
- Why they are running for a position?
- Are they committed to putting in the time and work to do the role properly?
- Will they attend all the meetings and conventions that are expected of them?
- Has a specific candidate asked them to be a delegate for them?
The “Open Voting Pilot” is making three key changes to Caucus Night:
- Participants can choose to use Preferential Ballots
- Waiting until later in the evening to tally ballots
- Allowing Preferential Ballots to be cast anytime from registration to the start of elections.
Learn more about the pilot here:
NOTE: Not all precincts are participating in the Open Voting Pilot, so check with your Caucus Host for more details.
Caucus Night Information
*These are example schedules and your precinct may use a schedule that is a little different.
Precincts Using Traditional Format
| 6:00 pm | Check-in & Credentialing – Only registered Republicans who live in the Precinct will be given ballots and allowed to vote |
| Open mingling and discussions with precinct candidates | |
| 7:00 pm | Official Caucus Meeting begins |
Precinct Elections – You must be present for the elections you want to participate in.
| |
Meeting Ends |
Precincts in the Open Voting Pilot
| 6:00 pm | Check-in & Credentialing – Only registered Republicans who live in the Precinct will be given ballots and allowed to vote |
| Early Voting Begins – Those choosing Preferential Ballots can start to submit ballots | |
| Open mingling and discussions with precinct candidates | |
| 7:00 pm | Official Caucus Meeting begins |
Candidate nominations close – At this point Early Voting will end, and normal voting will begin. | |
Candidate speeches, questions, mingling | |
| 8:00 pm | Elections / Voting Rounds – Those choosing regular ballots will vote in each round |
Election Results Announced and Reported |
As required by the State Party:
- Welcome/Introductions
- Prayer
- Pledge
- Reading of the State or County Platform
- Review of Rules, Procedures, Duties of Precinct and Delegate Positions
- Nominations and Elections (County Parties may change the order) for:
- Precinct Chair
- Precinct Vice Chair
- Precinct Secretary and/or Treasurer
- State Delegate
- County Delegate
- Other Business as directed by State and/or County Parties
- Select Election Judges
- Adjournment of the Meeting
To make the most of Caucus Night, please bring the following items:
- Government Photo ID
Your must verify who you are to get credentialed and receive your ballots. - Proof of Address
If you not a registered Republican, have a private voter registration, or have not updated your voter registration since moving to the precinct, you will need to prove you live in the precinct. Proof of Address items that are accepted are:- Recent Utility Bill
- Recent County Property Tax Notice
- Pen or Pencil
A pen will be needed to fill out your ballots. - Notebook
With five precinct positions to vote on, there will be many candidates to talk to and evaluate. A notebook will be very helpful in taking notes on each candidate and ranking them for your ballots.
Questions & Answers
A Preferential Ballot is where you write down the candidates on your ballot in order, from most preferred to least preferred. Similar to how you might rank sports teams or restaurants from best to worst. You can list as many or as few candidates as you wish.
Since party rules dictate that every precinct position must be won by a majority (more than half) of votes cast, when you have several candidates it is necessary to have multiple rounds of voting where the bottom candidate is eliminated. In the traditional format of speeches, voting, tallying, repeat, it can take some time to complete one election.
Using Preferential Ballots can save time because there is no need to be present for every round of every race to have your vote count.
When Preferential Ballots are tallied with single name ballots, the ballot is counted for the top valid candidate in each round of voting, unless no valid candidate remains.