civic engagement | Alliance for a Better Utah

Holyoak: Simple behaviors could restore democracy in Utah

Better Utah October 14, 2014

A few simple behavior modifications could increase voter turnout in this year’s midterm elections. In a Salt Lake Tribune op-ed over the weekend, Isaac Holyoak, Better UTAH communications director, discussed political science research that showed making a voting plan can substantially increase turnout. One research study…showed that merely asking someone whether or not they intended

New debates announced in legislative debate series

Better Utah September 30, 2014

Salt Lake City — A series of local legislative debates got a little more extensive today with the addition of two new debates to the schedule. The debates are sponsored by ABU Education Fund, an affiliate of Alliance for a Better UTAH, the University of Utah’s John R. Park Debate Society and community radio station

GOP chair James Evans is wrong to oppose debates

Better Utah August 20, 2014

We’ve talked before about Utah’s disappointingly low voter turnout rate. We believe strongly that healthy political debate is crucial in helping educate voters and encourage turnout. With that in mind, we partnered with KCPW, a Salt Lake valley radio station, and the John R. Park Debate Society at the University of Utah to sponsor five legislative

Debates must go on despite GOP Chairman’s admonition

Better Utah August 18, 2014

Former Republican legislator reiterates the importance of debates for civic participation – – – – – Salt Lake City — A series of non-partisan, legislative debates has come under fire after an e-mail exchange from Republican party leadership was leaked to the political news site UtahPolicy.com. In the exchange, Utah GOP Chairman James Evans discouraged

Youth engagement low, but new internship program hopes to change that

Better Utah May 14, 2014

Salt Lake City — In the wake of a recent poll that predicted record-breaking dissatisfaction with government, a former congresswoman is joining forces with a local good government group to engage young Utahns in the political process. The Alliance for a Better UTAH launched the Karen Shepherd Internship for Ethics and Good Government Wednesday afternoon

‘Feds are people, too’ among best public forum letters

Better Utah January 17, 2014

One of the best places to measure the pulse of the civically engaged is the letter to the editor section of the newspaper. It’s usually the first place I turn when I get the paper in the morning (I admit that I occasionally turn to the horoscope section next–but just for fun.) Letters can be

Tag: civic engagement