This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Donald Trump recently accused his opponents of buying the votes of Republican delegates. "They offer them trips, they offer them all kinds of things, and you're allowed to do that. You're allowed to give trips, and buy all these votes? What kind of a system is this?"
Trump is right. There are apparently no limits on what delegates can do. For example, the Utah caucus system is fraught with corruption. The average Utah Republican delegate expects to receive free lunches and swag ranging from cowboy hats to home deliveries of bread from Great Harvest — all paid for by candidates who are vying for their votes.
Of course, this gives the candidates who are willing to take money from lobbyists and other special interests the overwhelming advantage, since they have the most money to buy delegate votes. Almost always, these candidates are incumbents. Occasionally, they are new comers supported by special interests.
Think about it. Before becoming a delegate, people object to elected officials accepting a meal or paid trip from a lobbyist because it grants the lobbyist undue influence and smacks of bribery. However, once they become delegates, they see nothing wrong with taking free meals and other gratuities from candidates trying to influence them. Their view apparently is that free food and other gratuities influence politicians, but not them.
When Utah delegates require candidates to raise money in order to feed them in return for their attendance at candidate events, they are compromising their impartiality. When delegates ignore candidates who are unable or unwilling to wine and dine them or to ply them with gifts, they are engaging in corrupt practices. When delegates accept free meals and gifts, they are encouraging candidates to take special interest money and use it for the delegates' personal benefit.
In spite of the corruption in the delegate system, the Utah Republican state and county parties have no ethics rules in place for delegates. For the parties, it is fine if delegates require candidates to spend money on them in return for their votes because the parties also demand that the candidates support their budgets by charging exorbitant fees for booths at their conventions. In addition, parties demand that elected officials contribute huge sums raised from lobbyists and others to party coffers.
This is not to say that the caucus system itself needs to be abolished since, if appropriately administered, it does allow the average citizen to run for office without raising and spending huge sums of money. It also provides a means for in-depth vetting of candidates when delegates act ethically and ask hard questions of candidates in small settings.
The Utah caucus system, with all of its flaws, has allowed people with limited funds to run and win, and it does require those running for office to respond directly to the citizens' representatives for several weeks each electoral cycle. However, as currently constituted, the caucus system is subject to corruption and falls far short of the ideal. As long as this continues, the delegate system will be subject to accusations of being "rigged and crooked."
Will Utah Republican delegates forgo the free meals and other candidate provided amenities or will they continue to give the perception that their votes can be purchased? Will candidates continue to try to buy delegate votes by providing all type of gratuities? The answer to these questions can be found at the county and state Republican conventions. Drop by and see what the delegates, candidates and the party are really up to.
Ronald Mortensen is a retired Foreign Service officer who lives in Bountiful.