The seed has already been planted.
In 2019 Utah became the 14th state to pass the Convention of States resolution, calling for an Article V convention to propose constitutional amendments that impose fiscal restraints on Washington, limit its power and jurisdiction, and set term limits for federal officials.
Now it’s time to strengthen and grow these roots.
During a recent weekly grassroots meeting, state volunteers were inspired to do just this.
“We’ve all been practicing and educating ourselves to ensure a strong foundation, which is important,” stated Ryan Denison, Grassroots Coordinator for COS Utah. “But now it’s time to play the game. We need to offer better reasons to be involved.”
The group agreed that there is more action it could take to help retain members and volunteers, which often stems from having a clear call to action with strategic and tactical plans in place to achieve set goals. Keeping people motivated and involved requires short-term and long-term objectives that spark excitement and passion.
The COS grassroots effort in Utah is part of a strong desire to bring governance back home to the state–an idea most individuals would agree upon. Determined to leverage this and turn talk into action, COS Utah wants to show interested people specifically what their purpose would be and how they would uniquely fit into the movement.
To kick off these efforts, state members are focused on assembling a group of dedicated grassroots volunteers to serve as the voice of the community. They plan to become a channel of legislation, finding ideas that are most important and acting as a group to support them.
At an individual level, they also hope to help Utah residents better understand who their local representatives are, in order to strengthen relationships and overall communication. The team plans to assign two to four Legislative Liaisons to support this mission.
This isn’t the only area where COS Utah anticipates growth and structural changes to its team. The grassroots group is on the search for a State Director and hopes to get more leadership involved in their efforts. In the next few months, COS Utah will monitor interest, see who’s most dedicated to volunteering, and then seriously consider next steps.
“Many people want and need a positive place to fight for their country,” commented a devoted member of the team. “They know we are running out of time. COS Utah needs stated targets and rallying points. We need events with COS legislative supporters, rallies at the Capitol, face-to-face social gatherings, and trainings.”
This summer and fall, Utah residents can expect to see COS grassroots members out and about at upcoming community events, including hosting booths at fairs, gun shows, Fourth of July parades, and more.
All of these events will serve as great preparation for the next Utah legislative session, which takes place in January through March. The goal is to have people in place for several months prior to this session to proactively delve into topics of interest, particularly ones that fell short of passing by a few votes at last year’s session.
Utah’s growing grassroots movement is eager to band together and be heard. The group even discussed creating a coalition with like-minded organizations to brainstorm tactics and action plans and then work together under one COS flag. As history has taught us, there is always strength in numbers.
“We’re ready to start making changes and making these changes in the positive direction,” commented Denison.
There’s no greater time to begin this journey than now! To learn more about the COS Utah grassroots movement and how you can get involved, please visit our website by clicking here or reach out to Ryan Denison at Ryan.Denison@COSAction.com.
