Author Archives: Adam Brown

About Adam Brown

Adam Brown is an associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University and a research fellow with the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. You can learn more about him at his website.

The 2015 Legislature passed 528 bills in 45 days

Though there were 87 more bills introduced in 2015 than 2008 overall, there were 84 fewer introductions within the first two weeks. By the time the Utah Legislature concluded its seven-week General Session last Thursday, legislators had passed 528 bills (including resolutions). I’ve … Continue reading

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Utahns like Herbert and non-discrimination; they don’t like Senators and clocks

Utahns overwhelmingly support “a statewide law to protect Utahns against employment and housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” with 72% in favor Newly released polling data shows that Utahns approval strongly of Gary Herbert’s performance as governor (74% … Continue reading

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Pretty much nobody likes the Zion Curtain

Democrats (81%), Republicans (51%), Mormons (51%), other religious adherents (87%), and the non-religious (99%) all agree that restaurants should be allowed to remove these barriers. Utah law requires restaurants to prepare alcoholic drinks out of sight of customers, either in a … Continue reading

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Update: The 2015 Legislature will be Utah’s 2nd most Republican since the Depression

The 2015 Legislature has the second largest Republican majority in 88 years, since the 96.8% majority of 1927. Two weeks ago, preliminary results showed Democrats picking up one seat in the Utah House and holding steady in the Utah Senate. … Continue reading

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Voter turnout in Utah just got worse

In 2014, Utah was one of only 4 states with turnout below 29%. This post is based on preliminary turnout figures from the various states. These findings may need to be revised as provisional and absentee ballots are counted nationwide. … Continue reading

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We now have the fewest freshmen ever in the Utah House

Every incumbent on yesterday’s ballot won. This post is based on preliminary election results. Provisional and absentee ballots remain to be counted. When it convenes in January, Utah’s House of Representatives will have fewer freshmen on the floor than it … Continue reading

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Election result: The 3rd most Republican Legislature in 80 years

The 2015 Legislature will be the third-most Republican group in 80 years. This post is based on preliminary election results. Provisional and absentee ballots remain to be counted. Update (Nov 20): Now that provisional and absentee ballots are in, three elections have … Continue reading

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What Utah voters want from their Legislature

The three issues voters most want the Legislature to address: Reducing corruption among elected officials, improving Utah’s air quality, and increasing spending on K-12 public education. This post is a collaboration between Mike Barber and Adam Brown. Both are assistant … Continue reading

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Recap: The 2014 Utah Legislature

I’ve just posted several items about the recently concluded legislative session. Here’s a quick overview: The 2014 Legislature: Slow out of the gate, frantic in the stretch. Legislators considered 786 bills, but a procedural change caused a major crunch in … Continue reading

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Who missed the most votes in the 2014 Utah Legislature?

Legislators miss a lot of votes in the Utah Legislature, and some miss more than others. As the figure below shows, there wasn’t much change in the overall absenteeism rate, with 12% of Senators and 6% of Representatives missing a … Continue reading

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