On Saturday May 10th, both Utah Democrats and Republicans held their state conventions.
In the build up to, and day of the convention, many Democrats were unable to find news of the convention, while updates from the Republican convention, via live blogging, website updates, and video feeds, proved inexpensive and responsive methods of effectively getting their message out. For many supporters of the Democratic Party, a fundamental problem within the Utah Democratic Party became apparent: The lack of an online presence, in contrast to a large showing from the Republican Party through their dedicated convention site, video and audio casting, blogging, and general outreach to the public through online resources.
We, the undersigned, add our names to this petition to say that we believe the Utah Democratic Party has fallen greatly behind in embracing online resources for rapid messaging and fundraising efforts, networking for volunteers and activists, transparency and public access, and finally, as an aid in building coalitions that in turn win elections. Nationally, Democrats lead in this arena, but here in Utah, our online presence is barely noticeable outside of personal blogger efforts to bolster the party.
We add our names to this effort to urge the leaders of the Democratic Party of Utah to further embrace the use of online resources and tools to more effectively spread our message to Utah voters.
