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Utah GOP chair: state privacy rules hamper party outreach; party pushing legislative fixes
Summary
Rob Axon said the Utah Republican Party cannot access basic voter contact data the state used to release, leaving large "withheld" segments of registered Republicans unreachable and making outreach, caucus notifications and signature verification harder.
Rob Axon told county delegates that state privacy rules and redactions in voter registration data have limited the party's ability to reach voters. "The party has never received emails from the state," Axon said, and he said phone numbers stopped being provided around 2009. He described a large portion of registrations in a withheld category: "between 30-40%, sometimes even higher...in some areas it's as high as 60."
Axon said the party's repeated public-record (GRAMA) requests for fuller files have been denied and that the Legislature has made partial fixes but not the comprehensive remedy the party seeks. He described a bill this past session that improved the situation but fell short, and said the party will try again.
Why it matters: Axon said the party cannot reliably identify or contact many people listed as Republican registrants, which reduces turnout efforts, complicates verifying signature-gatherers and increases reliance on broadcast or paid advertising.
Details and actions described: - The party lacks statewide email lists provided by the state. Phone numbers were largely removed from state voter files around 2009, according to Axon. - Axon estimated that 30% to 60% of registrants may have withheld status in some areas and thus are not visible to the party's voter lists. - The state party pursued record requests and a legislative fix; a bill moved through the session but was not finalized to the party's satisfaction.
Quotes (from the podcast): - "The party has never received emails from the state. Right. Never received emails." - "We're not allowed to know your name, where you are, anything about you."
Speakers cited: Rob Axon (Utah Republican Party chair); Christie and Chuck (Utah County Republican Party hosts).
Authorities referenced: state election law changes on voter privacy and the party's GRAMA requests (public-records process) were discussed; Axon said the Legislature is working on fixes.
Ending: Axon said restoring more complete voter-roll access is a top legislative priority for the party, and he urged delegates to support candidates and legislative work to address the data gap.
