Q and A 1: Four questions from Keri Witte

I received an email from Kerri Witte, current SCC member and Utah County Delegate, about my positions on certain issues. I thought you might want to see the questions and answers. My answers are in bold.

Thank you for filing as a candidate for State Central Committee.  I am a County Delegate, and I would appreciate hearing your honest and candid answers to the following 4 questions:

1)  How will you uphold our Party Platform and educate the public about Republican principles?

I will support party processes, bylaws, and constitutional provisions that are in line with party principles expressed in the platform. I would also consider careful changes to the platform, if it were shown that a narrow statement is in conflict with broader party principles.

2)  Which system do you prefer to see the Republican Party use for nominating Republican                     candidates for the General Election ballot?

    A)  The Caucus/Convention system (our current system)

    B)  A direct Primary (all prospective candidates on the Primary ballot, no Caucus/Convention)

    C)  A hybrid system utilizing both the Caucus/Convention system plus an alternative route to the             Primary ballot (such as petition signatures)

A. The current caucus/convention system. I favor looking at improvements to the system, such as making avoiding a primary a little tougher by increasing the cutoff point (my favorite level at this time is 66.6%), but I feel the the make my vote count crowd gives even more of an advantage to incumbents/rich candidates. Congressional incumbents get reelected 90% of the time; we hardly need an Incumbent Protection Act, which is what the primary initiative would be.


3)    How will you work to promote your preferred method of candidate nomination?

Blog entries. Letters to the editor (I have already responded to a couple of Bob Bernick columns). Discussion of my point of view with SCC members and fellow delegates (I am also a county delegate). Discussions in appropriate party settings or with friends.

4)    Are you interested in encouraging the County Party to provide space on the County Party website for State Central Committee agendas, information, and input from your delegate constituents?

Yes. I have found your emails and postings to be very useful, but a living page on the county site would have broader reach.

Thank you for taking the time to reply; I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Keri Witte
County Delegate