Carbon County Parties Prepare for Community Caucuses

Democrats and Republicans in Carbon County, Utah gear up for their respective caucus nights on March 17.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 12:36am

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Both the Carbon County Republican and Democratic parties are gearing up for their community caucus nights on Tuesday, March 17. The Republican caucus will take place at Carbon High School starting at 6 p.m., while the Democratic caucus will convene at the United Mine Workers of America Building in Price, Utah, also beginning at 6 p.m. The events will kick off the election season in the county, allowing voters to get involved in the nominating process for local, state, and federal races.

Why it matters

Community caucuses play a crucial role in the electoral process, allowing grassroots activists and engaged citizens to help shape the direction of political parties at the local level. The open nature of the Democratic caucus in Carbon County is seen as a way to encourage broader participation and more moderate positions, while the Republican caucus maintains a closed system limited to registered party members.

The details

At the Republican caucus, attendees will need to present ID and have their voter registration verified before participating in the delegate selection process. The party will then host a candidate forum on March 19 to allow the public to submit questions for the GOP contenders. The Democratic caucus is open to all, regardless of party affiliation, providing an opportunity for a wider range of voices to be heard. Following the caucuses, both parties will hold county conventions to further vet candidates and select delegates for state-level events.

  • The Carbon County Republican caucus will take place on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, starting at 6 p.m.
  • The Carbon County Democratic caucus will also convene on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, beginning at 6 p.m.
  • The Carbon County GOP will host a candidate forum on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 7 p.m.
  • The Carbon County Democratic convention will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, starting at 3 p.m.

The players

Tina Urbanik

Chair of the Carbon County Republican Party.

Allen Sumnall

Chair of the Carbon County Democratic Party.

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What they’re saying

“We start taking people in at 6 p.m. And then assembly begins at 7 p.m. At 6 p.m., when you come in, you want to make sure you have your ID. We are going to credential you, we're going to match your ID with your voter registration, and make sure that your address matches.”

— Tina Urbanik, Carbon County Republican Party Chair

“You can be a Democrat, you can be independent, you can be a Republican. And what we really like about that is I think with a closed caucus we've seen that there tends to be a move in a certain direction in a closed caucus … not so much in Carbon County, but in other areas, it's the most reactionary that show up, the most committed that show up. And that has the tendency to drive the party in a direction that moves away from the more moderate middle position, which is really where the Utah Democrats lie.”

— Allen Sumnall, Carbon County Democratic Party Chair

What’s next

Following the caucuses, the Carbon County Republican Party will host a candidate forum on March 19 to allow the public to submit questions for the GOP contenders, while the Carbon County Democratic convention will be held on March 28 to further vet candidates and select delegates for state-level events.

The takeaway

The community caucuses in Carbon County provide an important opportunity for grassroots political engagement, allowing voters to help shape the direction of local, state, and federal races. The contrasting approaches of the Republican and Democratic parties - a closed GOP caucus versus an open Democratic one - highlight the ongoing debate over how best to encourage broad-based participation in the nominating process.