News reports came out recently about a Gallup poll that showed that Mormons are the religious group with the lowest approval of President Barack Obama.  

In a Salt Lake Tribune article on the poll, Senator Ben McAdams, a Democrat and an active Latter Day Saint responded to the poll by saying that the policies Obama is working on, such as expanding health care coverage, are in line with LDS values and that over time LDS voters will realize that.  McAdams added: "A lot of the work of Democrats in Utah is to get people to look beyond party label to what values individual candidates hold that are directly in line with the beliefs of the LDS faith."

But Hinckley Institute Director Kirk Jowers said that isn't going to happen because Republicans have a monopoly on faith.  Jowers, who is a Republican and was considered as a potential lieutenant governor pick by Gary Herbert last year, said that "Mormons are well known for the F's: families, frugality, and faith.  Traditionally, those values have been more closely associated with conservatives and the Republican Party."

This is exactly the mythology Republicans would like to spread about Democrats.  And it clearly is not true.

This week students will return to classes at Utah Valley University.  Since UVU was created as a technical school, it has served an important role in educating the county's children.  As that school grew to a college and now a university, it has played an increasingly critical role in Utah County's economic development.  Not only does it educate thousands of Utah County college students, but it also now draws students from across the state and even the world.   

I personally understand the importance of UVU in our community.  One of our children graduated from UVU and another is currently a student.  My wife and I are grateful there is a public higher education institution in Utah Valley available for our children to attend.

Utah Valley University is a jewel of Utah County.  However, that isn't thanks to our state legislators.  As students return to classes, once again the university will be bursting at the seams.  According to UVU president Matthew Holland, UVU student enrollment has grown 20 percent over the past two years.  At the same time, the state legislature has severely cut UVU's budget.

As our candidates campaign, they are hearing a new line by Utah County Republicans:  Our candidates are switching parties so they can win.  

It is hard to keep from laughing over that.  It is an uphill battle to win as a Democrat in Utah County.  We're working hard to change that.  But to suggest that in a county where registered Republicans far outnumber registered Democrats and no Democrat has won an election since 1994 a Republican would switch parties to become a Democrat in order to win is absurd.

What they are really trying to say is that those candidates who were Republicans are insincere in their switch to Democrat or Independent.  Yet, party switching is a long tradition in American politics and some of the most popular individuals in American political history have done it.  Abraham Lincoln was a Whig before he joined the Republican Party.  In the past few years, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg switched from Democrat to Republican and now Independent.  Ronald Reagan was a self-described liberal Democrat before he became a Republican.

I saw a national poll recently showing that over 90 percent of Republicans were anxious to vote in this November's elections while less than 70 percent of Democrats were. Republicans tend to vote in higher numbers anyway, which means that, if that poll is accurate, the vast majority of Republicans will show up to vote, and will vote for their candidates, while many Democrats will ignore the election and help the Republicans win.

Yes, that's right. By not caring deeply about the results of this midterm election, Democrats help Republicans win.

That is particularly a problem in the state of Utah and Utah County in particular. Republicans have been in charge of the legislature for 30 years and they have been in the governor's mansion for 26. And they've brought us alot of problems we can't afford to continue. Not caring about this election will mean a continuation of poor representatives and bad policy.

What's at stake in this election includes the following: