The Utah Democratic Primary went smoothly, party credits mail-in voting

Mar 6, 2024, 7:55 AM | Updated: 8:14 am

Democratic Party credits mail-in voting...

FILE: A voter holds a mail-in ballot in Provo on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. A Utah lawmaker will propose legislation that would remove a voter from mail-in ballot lists if they fail to vote in a presidential election. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)

(Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)

BY ALEXANDREA BONILLA

Associate Producer

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Democratic Party had a much smoother night than the Republican Party. The democrats opted to do a traditional mail-in primary; claiming it is more secure, accessible and efficient. It proved to be less troublesome as republican voters were met with long lines, broken registration systems and a lot of confusion at caucuses all over the state.

“The dysfunction of the Republican caucus is a total embarrassment,” Executive Director of the Utah Democratic Party, Thom DeSirant said.

“Instead of opting to participate in a secure and accessible process through a state-run primary, like the Utah Democratic Party did, the Utah GOP chose to shut out voter participation. So, it should be no surprise that their caucuses devolved into disorganized chaos.”

The Utah Democratic Party were unified

Additionally, the Democratic Party seemed to agree on their candidate. President Joe Biden got 87.5% of the votes and all 30 delegates.

Biden’s competitors Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips didn’t come close, but they were neck and neck most of the night. Williamson came out on top with 4.9% of the votes, compared to Phillips’ 4.4%. The two had a difference of approximately 300 votes. That number pales in comparison to the gap between William and Biden, which sits around 51,000 votes.

Utah Democratic Party Chair Diane Lewis congratulated the president on his overwhelming victory.

“These results show what I’ve been hearing on the ground every day: Democrats are fired up and ready to re-elect the Biden-Harris ticket in November. We simply cannot afford to have Donald Trump and his MAGA extremist movement back in the White House,” Lewis said.

“We know what’s at stake in this election: our personal freedoms, our economy, and our democracy. Tonight, thousands of Utah Democrats showed that they are ready to fight for our historic progress and send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House in November.”