After caucus chaos, lawmaker wants Utah to pay for primaries

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah lawmaker wants to ensure the state will pay for and run presidential primaries after Utah opted not to run one last year and Democrats running their own caucuses were overwhelmed with hours-long lines and ballot shortages.
Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, is sponsoring a bill requiring the state to set up a primary every four years to avoid a similar mess.
Traditionally, Utah lawmakers have decided every four years if they’ll run a primary or not. They opted not to pay the $3 million cost of running a primary last year because Republicans had already decided they wanted to run their own caucus.
Utah Republican chair James Evans supports the bill because Republicans want the option of a primary in the future.
A Senate committee unanimously passed the bill Tuesday, sending it to the full Senate for consideration.