Beyond the ballot box: get involved early to make a difference in local and national politics.

• Author: Gessel, David C.
• Position: Special * Report

The election of 2012 will be one of the most important elections in over a generation. Utahns and Utah business leaders need to make it a priority to engage in the political process in the coming year. Whether we like it or not, all levels of government and politicians have a major impact on every business in Utah. It is admittedly difficult for any one person to have a large impact on the federal government, but this is not true for state or local governments

Below are 10 simple things you can do over the next year to become a political player in your neighborhood and in your industry. Doing these 10 things will only take the equivalent of an hour or two a month and will make a large impact on your personal political profile.

1. Attend the mass meeting of your choice in March, 2012. This is where politics starts in Utah. This meeting will be close to your home and will elect state and county delegates who in turn will choose the state and federal candidates of your party. Even better: run and become a state or county delegate. Nothing else will give you a better view into how the political system works in Utah.

2. Hold a meeting at your home for a political candidate you support. This signals to both the candidate and to your neighbors that you are engaged in the political process and are a local political leader.

3. Contribute to the political candidate of your choice. Federal law does not allow corporate contributions directly to federal candidates and limits personal contributions. However, in Utah there are no limits on personal or corporate contributions to state candidate campaigns. A review of publicly available reporting documents shows that the vast majority of funding for legislative campaigns comes from corporate and political action committees. Very few individual Utahns actually contribute personal funds to their state or local candidates. Doing so will make you one of the relative handful of constituents who think enough about a state or local candidate to contribute personally to them. You can bet that your state legislator will remember that. A $25, $50 or $100 contribution signals that you believe in that candidate.

4. Talk to your state legislator or state legislative candidate when you see them at the local school, store, sports game or public event. State legislators live close by to you in Utah. Once you know who they are, you will see them regularly in your neighborhood. Go up and introduce yourself and engage in a...