Letter: Caucus system run by fringe, big money

I think George Chapman ("Apathy, not caucuses, is political problem," Opinion, Nov. 10) has things mixed up. In such a one-party state as Utah, once the Republican candidate is nominated at the party convention, the election is generally over. That's why voters are so apathetic — they know the results are a foregone conclusion.

And how does the candidate get nominated at the party convention? It's done by stacking the caucuses with your supporters so they are in the majority at the caucus and therefore are the delegates to the party convention! That's fairly easy to do since a very small minority of voters attend caucuses.

As for costs, getting a nomination at a party convention can be expensive as well as in a primary. Sen. Orrin Hatch's efforts leading up to the caucuses resulted in spending, by him, by PACS, etc., in the neighborhood of at least $1 million ("Out-of-state money, groups playing big role in Hatch campaign," KSL.com, March 12, 2012). And a good deal of that was, using Mr. Chapman's words, "big corporate money."

Kermit Heid

Salt Lake City