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We are professors of political science. The goal is not to post partisan opinions, but rather to share our academic research. Learn more. Each post reflects only its author's views.
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Tag Archives: measurement
Utah’s Supreme Court, where unanimity is the rule
Non-unanimous rulings from the Utah Supreme Court are very rare The five Justices serving on Utah’s Supreme Court are the final word when it comes to interpreting Utah law and Utah’s Constitution, yet they labor mostly in obscurity, without attracting … Continue reading
Recap: Looking back at the 2013 Utah Legislature
I’ve posted tons of stats about the Utah Legislature in the past couple days. To recap, here’s a quick summary of some of what you can now find here: Do legislators work enough to justify their salary? If you take … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, consensus, legislative life, legislature, measurement, navel gazing, partisanship, rankings, representation, roll call votes
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Who voted “nay” most often in the 2013 Utah Legislature?
Perhaps it takes a few terms of service to pick up the “consensus culture.” Although most votes in the Utah Legislature pass with overwhelming 90+% majorities, there are some legislators who really like to vote “nay.” There aren’t enough of … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, rankings, roll call votes
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How quickly were bills passed in 2013?
Something changed around 2009 or 2010 that led legislators to introduce their bills later and, as a result, process them more quickly. In 2013, the Utah Legislature passed more bills than it’s passed since I started keeping track (in 2007). … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged legislative life, legislature, measurement, sponsorship, vetting
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The closest votes in the 2013 Legislature
Most votes in the Utah Legislature pass with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. It has long been tradition that floor votes in the Utah Legislature pass with overwhelming majorities taking the same side. Democrats and Republicans alike tend to get behind … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, partisanship, roll call votes, vetting
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2012 was Utah’s most Republican-leaning presidential vote since statehood
Relative to the nation, Utah cast a more Republican vote in 2012 than at any time since statehood. I just noticed something interesting while playing with the 2012 presidential election results for Utah. By one metric, it appears Utah may … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged barack obama, democrat, measurement, mitt romney, partisanship, presidential election, republican, voting
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Which Utah pollsters correctly predicted the election results?
Only one of Utah’s three professional pollsters was reasonably accurate with almost every prediction it made. In the two weeks prior to the election, several pollsters tried their hand at forecasting the election results in Utah’s various races. I thought … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged Key Research, measurement, polls, presidential election, public opinion, rankings, USU
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No, Utah will not have 80% turnout
Estimating Utah’s turnout by looking only at registered voters is like estimating Utah’s average wealth by looking only at those who are employed. Important note (November 20, 2012). The turnout numbers below rely on data from Michael McDonald. He has … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged election administration, greg bell, measurement, presidential election, turnout, voter registration, voting
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Why pollsters should release their topline results
Polls can be done well or poorly. Releasing topline results aids the public in detecting poor polls. The Tribune reported a Mason-Dixon poll last week suggesting a wide Republican advantage in the race for Salt Lake County mayor. Yesterday, the … Continue reading
Before any of the debates. Before SuperStorm Sandy. Before the last-minute barrage of campaign advertising. He predicted the result perfectly over a month ago. Over the past several months, political scientists have consistently forecasted an Obama victory–a relatively narrow one, … Continue reading →