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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
Evaluating the Senate’s second reading calendar
Absenteeism is, indeed, higher on the second reading. I posted earlier about absentee rates in the 2012 Utah legislature. There’s been some discussion in the comments about the second versus third reading calendars in the Senate. Here’s some data. Background: … Continue reading
Recap: What have we learned about the 2012 Utah legislature?
In case the whirlwind of posts analyzing the 2012 legislative session has been overwhelming, here’s a quick recap. I’ll be slowing down from here out. Who sponsored the most bills in 2012? Quick answer: Sen. Curt Bramble, any way you … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, consensus, leadership, legislature, measurement, partisanship, rankings, roll call votes, vetting
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Party support scores for the 2012 Utah legislature
Which legislators are most partisan in their legislative voting? A legislator’s “party support” score measures the percentage of the time that he votes the same as as the majority of his party. If a House Democrat votes “aye,” and so … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, partisanship, rankings, roll call votes
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Who voted “no” in the 2012 Utah legislature?
Both chambers saw the most “no” votes come from a member of the Republican majority. Some legislators vote “no” far more often than others. You might expect this to reflect partisanship: In a Republican-dominated body, you would expect more “no” … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, partisanship, rankings, roll call votes
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Utah legislators with the best and worst attendance records of 2012
The 2012 legislative session saw a modest decline in legislator absenteeism. In 2011, 7.1% of Representatives missed a typical vote in the Utah House, whereas 14.3% of Senators missed a typical vote in the Utah Senate. These numbers dropped somewhat … Continue reading
Consensus voting is still the norm in Utah legislature
The frequency of consensus voting should provide reassurance that the legislative process works much of the time. Congress is known for its partisan wrangling and party-line votes, but the environment is completely different in the Utah legislature. Here in Utah, … Continue reading
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Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, partisanship, vetting
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Bills were introduced later, passed faster in 2012 session
In 2008, 44% of bills were introduced on day 1. In 2012, only 28% were introduced on day 1. Now that the 2012 session of the Utah legislature has wrapped up, what can we observe? For one thing, it appears … Continue reading
Who sponsored the most bills in 2012?
As hard as he worked, Rep. Dougall was not the most active bill sponsor this session. By any measure, that was Sen. Bramble. I’ve seen a few media reports claiming that Utah Rep. John Dougall sponsored more bills than any … Continue reading
How different are Romney and Perry ideologically?
Rick Perry is slightly to the right of Mitt Romney, but only slightly. Political scientists have worked for years to find ways of measuring politicians’ ideology. By far, the best method we presently have is known as NOMINATE (and its … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged ideology, jon huntsman, measurement, mitt romney, nominate, presidential election, rick perry
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Which legislators run the most bills?
Far and away, the most active sponsor of bills in the Utah legislature is Senator Curt Bramble. A couple weeks ago, I posted information about which legislators skip the most votes. Voting is an important part of a legislator’s job, … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, backdoor power, leadership, legislature, measurement, senate president, speaker of the house, sponsorship
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