Utah State House of Representatives District 53 election, 2012

Qualifications

Candidates for the State House had to have been a U.S. citizen, 25 years old at the time of the election, a resident of Utah for 3 consecutive years, 6 consecutive month resident of the House district for which office was sought as reckoned from the time of the filing deadline, and a qualified voter at the time of the election.^[1]

Filings

The deadline for candidates to have filed a declaration of their candidacy was March 20, 2012 at 5pm Mountain Standard Time.^[2] To have become a valid write-in candidate an individual had to have filed a Declaration of Write-In Candidacy no later than 30 days before the regular general election.^[3] There was a Filing Fee of $64.90 ^[4]

Precinct Caucses

Precinct caucuses were held in each precinct for each party to determine the delegates to represent them at the state convention. All registered voters could attend.

State Conventions

State conventions were held by the Democratic, Republican, Constitution, Libertarian, and Utah Justice Parties.^[5] The candidate that received 50% or 60% won that Parties nomination (the percentage itself was set by the Party).^[6]

Primarys

If no candidate had received the required amount of delegates at the state convention, a primary was to be held. If needed, the primary would take place on June 26, 2012. The primary was held for the Democratic, Republican, Constitution, and Libertarian Parties.^[7]

Write-Ins and Independents

To be a valid write-in candidate for a state office, an individual had to have filed a Declaration of Write-In Candidacy no later than 30 days before the regular general election.^[8] Candidates who did not wish to affiliate with a ballot-approved political party could appear on the ballot by submitting a petition. Candidates for the Utah State House of Representatives had to have submitted a petition with the signatures of at least 300 or 5% of the registered voters residing within a political division, whichever was less. The names on the petition had to have been verified by the county clerk(s) as registered voters. Holographic (physical) signatures were required. Electronic signatures of any kind were not acceptable.^[9]

General Election

The general election took place on November 6, 2012. If no candidate received a majority or plurality of the votes, a runoff election was to be held.

Republican Party

• Melvin Brown, Member of the Utah State House of Representatives since 2006.^[10]
• John B. Zimmerman, Candidate for the Utah State House of Representatives, 2012.^[11]

State Convention

Results