Monthly Archives: June 2011

Why do legislators skip votes?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Adam Brown

Legislative leaders skip way more votes than non-leaders. Let’s continue this study of absenteeism in the Utah legislature. Earlier, I showed that Utah legislators skip lots of votes. Then, I showed that legislators miss some types of votes more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Why do legislators skip votes?

Which legislators miss the most votes?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Adam Brown

Five legislators missed more than 30% of their votes in 2011. Yesterday, I wrote that Utah’s legislators skip a LOT of votes. On average, 7.1% of Representatives missed each vote during the 2011 session, and 14.4% of Senators missed each … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

When do Utah’s legislators skip votes?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Adam Brown

Legislators are far less likely to skip party-line votes Recently, I wrote that Utah’s legislators skip a LOT of votes. Today, let’s ask why. There are two ways to come at this. First, we can ask which votes get skipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on When do Utah’s legislators skip votes?

Are Utah’s legislators skipping votes?

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Adam Brown

Legislators are more likely to be absent than to vote “no.” A legislator’s most visible job is to cast votes in the legislature on behalf of his or her constituents, yet it turns out that Utah’s legislators miss a LOT … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

What are the conflicts between representation and redistricting?

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Kelly Patterson

Certain segments of Utah’s political class advocate for a rural-urban mix for the new congressional districts. The argument sounds something like the following: “It would be horrible for Utah to not have all Congressional seats invested in both the rural … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What are the conflicts between representation and redistricting?

How educated are Utah’s legislators? An update

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Adam Brown

Back in February, I released data on the educational attainment of Utah’s legislators. I found that the Utah Senate’s education level was above average for a state legislative chamber, while the Utah House was well below average. Details are here: … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on How educated are Utah’s legislators? An update

Redistricting backgrounders – What have we learned?

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Adam Brown

Over the past few weeks, we’ve posted a ridiculous amount of research about the redistricting process here in Utah. What have we learned? Here’s the Cliff Notes version. Looking back: How has Utah’s population grown since 2000? Utah’s population is … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Redistricting backgrounders – What have we learned?

How badly were legislative districts gerrymandered in 2001?

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Adam Brown

Although Democrats win 30% of the Utah House votes statewide but only 23% of the seats, we cannot conclude that partisan gerrymandering is to blame. If you add up all the votes cast for Utah House candidates statewide in 2010, … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Salt Lake County to lose seats in Utah legislature

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Adam Brown

If you’re coming from that article in the Tribune today, then you’re probably looking for this post: Which counties will gain and lose seats in the Utah legislature? I’ve written several posts about redistricting in the past couple weeks. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged | Comments Off on Salt Lake County to lose seats in Utah legislature

Do single member districts hurt Democrats?

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Adam Brown

Even without a partisan gerrymander, Democrats cannot win a full 30% of seats unless Democratic voters are clustered in an optimal way. In 2010, Democrats won only 17 of the 75 seats in the Utah House of Representatives. That’s 23% … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Do single member districts hurt Democrats?