There is just so much wrong with the call to “affiliate and vote,” espoused by Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
First, the assumption that whoever wins the Republican primary will win the general election.
Yes, this is a heavily gerrymandered district; however, over time, districts tend to level.
The 65 percent Republican advantage may not hold as true, given the fact there is no incumbent and people tend to move around. Second, the notion that 37 percent of Utah voters are unaffiliated and many of them are disenchanted Republicans.
I don’t see any research or even polling to support the above numbers being true for the 3rd Congressional District.
Third, the blatant attempt to ask (shame?) unaffiliated voters to fix the problems caused by the Utah County Clerk’s Office when it goofed and sent mail-in primary ballots to unaffiliated voters in a closed Republican primary.
Really? This idea makes me wonder how this group could think they are “ethical” when they condone this fix for the spoiled ballots that are in circulation.
Finally, cloaking all this with the mantle of exercising your right to vote by signing up to be Republican because in November you will already be disenfranchised makes me scratch my head at the illogic of this misguided attempt to achieve democracy.
Mormon Women for Ethical Government, if you want to enfranchise voters, work on something truly ethical, like an independent commission to redraw political boundaries.
Mary Bishop
Salt Lake City