Proposal #1 Amendments to Utah Republican Party Constitution and Bylaws WHEREAS, recent changes in Utah election law have made it necessary for the Utah Republican Party to clarify its rights and the process by which it selects candidates for public office who best represent the Party’s ideologies and preferences; WHEREAS, the Party intends to hold individuals who seek elected office under the Party's label to the standards set forth in the Party’s governing documents; and WHEREAS, the Party’s Constitution and Bylaws set forth the Party’s choices as to the process by which it selects candidates for public office who best represent the Party’s ideologies and preferences, and Section 8.0 of the Bylaws specifically requires that all candidates for public office make a certification to ensure that candidates meets the qualifications for a valid candidacy, including Party membership, and a Platform disclosure statement; and WHEREAS, in ongoing litigation initiated by the Party to defend its associational rights, the presiding judge, The Honorable David Nuffer, made the following statements: “The party regulates its membership. The voter registration process let’s people self-declare affiliation. But the State cannot and as I read it does not intend to regulate membership in your party.” “Issues about the possibility that [a] party nominee may not necessarily be a party member or committed to the party platform are easily resolvable by the party membership requirements. The State has nothing to say about who’s the member of a party, at least under this statute, except to say it’s determined in accordance with party rules.” and “It is a severe burden on freedom of association as applied to political parties to require them to allow unaffiliated voters to vote because of forcing association.” (Utah Republican Party, et al. v. Herbert, et al., Case No. 14-cv-876 (D. Utah), Hearing Transcript at 103:11-14, 124:7-12, 125:11-13); BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED: 1. The State Central Committee hereby directs the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party to notify the Utah Elections Office that the party intends to participate in the 2016 Primary Election as a Qualified Political Party. The Chair shall send the notice immediately after the 2015 State Organizing Convention. 2. The Utah Republican Party shall change its Constitutional definition of membership in Article I, section C, as follows: ARTICLE I C. Membership. Party membership is open to any resident of the State of Utah who registers to vote as a Republican and complies with the Utah Republican Party Constitution and Bylaws. And 3. Section 8.0(A) of the Bylaws is amended to add a certification requirement that all candidates for public office certify that they will comply with the rules and processes as set forth in the Utah Republican Party Constitution and Bylaws. Sponsored by: Heather Williamson Neil Walter