Presidential caucus chaos returns at heated Utah legislative hearing

SALT LAKE CITY — A heated conversation at a Utah legislative interim committee hearing Wednesday echoed the chaos of Super Tuesday in March, when the Utah Republican Party came under fire for problems with their caucus meetings. 

In March, voters reported a hectic and frustrating experience as they tried to take part in the caucuses. They said they experienced issues ranging from long lines to website failures to problems with registration. Some voters told KSL NewsRadio at the time that they gave up and went home. 

Read more: Utah GOP chair addresses Super Tuesday caucus meltdown

Wednesday, the Utah Legislature’s Government Operations Interim Committee meant to address those reported problems. Additionally, people could have shared their experiences at the Super Tuesday caucuses.

Instead, lawmakers sparred over the presentation of a witness, Daryl Acumen of Integrity Matters LLC, which some committee members described as biased. 

“This is a conversation that does need to happen, but not in this way,” said Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Utah Co.

“The materials have already been online. They’ve already been reviewed. It’s already tainted the conversation and in my opinion removes the ability to have an objective, fact-based conversation about what is an important issue.” 

Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, also spoke against continuing the discussion because of that presentation. 

“I think we want people’s voice to be heard,” Christofferson said. “But we want to be objective about the information that we’re discussing. We want to have people discuss it in a way that doesn’t impugn the other side of the discussion and those who have different opinions.” 

Read more: Utah voters share thoughts on Tuesday’s caucus

Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, pointed out that Wednesday’s hearing marked the second time Acuman appeared with the intent of speaking to the committee. And now the second time he has left without having a chance to do so.

According to Thatcher, that also applied to other witnesses. Including representatives from the Republican and Democratic parties, a county clerk/auditor, and a representative from the Disability Law Center. 

“I’ll just say I am genuinely disappointed,” Thatcher said. “Truly, deeply disappointed that we have people who came here today, who just want to be heard, who want to be able to speak up. If the objection is Mr. Acumen, this is now the second time he’s taking a day off of work to come and be heard. And a second time in a row that we have refused to allow him to speak. And that disappoints me.

“But we also have the Disability Law Center, which is a non-profit. It’s not a partisan group. They’re not hacks. They are here to talk about what they have found and why it matters. And for the second month in a row, we are refusing to allow them to speak, we are refusing to allow them even to be heard,” Thatcher said.

Thatcher voted no against the motion to remove the presidential primary election and any presentations from the meeting’s agenda. The other 12 committee members in attendance voted to remove the item. 

“We’re not taking a vote, we’re not taking action, we’re not threatening to move anybody’s cheese without a discussion. We are allowing to be heard [those] who have said, ‘We would like to be heard.’ And if we can’t even allow people to speak, I’m concerned about how effectively we can do their business,” Thatcher continued. 

Watch: How to participate in caucus night

A sizeable crowd dispersed when the discussion was tabled. 

Lawmakers will hold more interim committee hearings in October. But it remains unclear if or when they would again address Utah caucus night concerns. Lawmakers do not need to post agendas until 24 hours ahead of a committee meeting time. 

Becky Bruce is the news director for KSL NewsRadio.  

Follow @KSLbbruce