This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I registered as a Republican yesterday, and it has made my heart sick. I received notice in the mail that since I was registered in my district as nonpartisan, I could only vote by mail for the local school board in the upcoming primary elections. A Democrat can vote for the U.S. Senate, and a Republican can vote for governor and county commissioner.
It has been said and printed that in Utah the devil would be elected into office if an "R" followed the name on the ballot. And with the congressional district gerrymandering, this is guaranteed to play out. The Republican Party has given up on the presidential race and is concentrating, as it has in the past, on state governor and congressional control, as evidenced by Koch Industries' glowing moral support of Mike Lee in the Tribune's Opinion section May 20.
The primary election in Utah is the only place independent-thinking citizens can make their voices heard. I will vote against the incumbent Republicans in the primary, and the very next day change my voter registration to nonpartisan. After all, I didn't pledge an oath. And if it's illegal … come and get me.
Artelle Cracraft
Tooele