Utah Caucuses

I really wish I had paid more attention a week ago because I completely ignored all the signs and didn't participate in the Utah caucuses. I would have really liked to go to the local Republican party caucuses and tried to voice my opinion to the majority party... oh wait... I'm not registered as a Republican, so the rules say I couldn't have gone to that caucus. In fact, I'm not registered as a Democrat either; I am registered as unaffiliated. I have this crazy notion that I should vote for the person that represents my ideas and values the best and not just vote along party lines. I know, weird. Well, I could have gone to the Democratic party caucus because that caucus is open for anyone! So I could have participated in an event that would determine who would get the Democratic delegates in the least Democratic leaning state in the nation... Hmm. Now I'm starting to get demoralized. Well, what if I decided to register as a Republican for the next round of caucuses in 2014? If I did that, then I could have a voice amongst people that didn't want to hear it in the first place and give my opinion to a delegate that wouldn't listen too it. “Oh, he's one of those liberal Republicans!”

I'm really trying to figure this out. It seems that the Utah Republican caucuses cater to the minority of the majority and ignore the majority of the minority. The attendees of the Republican caucuses represent a minority of the majority party and don't let those that are part of the minority party attend. On the other hand, the Democratic caucuses let anyone attend so they can make a futile attempt to vote for a Democrat that is at best a long shot. Whoa. So confused...

Of course, there are lots of things that confuse me. For instance, why is it that with today's technology we only have the option of in-person caucuses that only happen on one day at one time? With only two tenths of one percent representing all of the population (delegates), perhaps there are other avenues to explore? You can register to vote online, so why not have a mass representation system that allows the maximum number of people to put in opinions about political candidates online or at a voting booth? Is it wrong for me to want more people to have a voice and for a nominee process to more accurately represent the wishes of the majority? Yet another conflict between traditional systems and systems that work better in today's world. Oh, like the electoral college! You mean, someone can win an election even when they didn't?