Tag Archives: republic

Are Utah’s legislators skipping votes?

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

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Redistricting backgrounders – What have we learned?

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

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Did the legislature gerrymander Matheson’s district in 2001?

It’s not clear that the legislature actually made Matheson’s district more Republican in 2001. It’s often said that the Utah legislature tried to gerrymander Utah’s second district (Matheson’s) in 2001. By moving Republicans into the district and Democrats out of … Continue reading

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What do Utahns think about legislators’ privacy?

An overwhelming majority (78%) say that “the public’s right to access” is the most important. Public opinion toward complex issues is difficult to measure, especially as the issues involve a choice between important values. The recent debate over the Utah … Continue reading

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Will Utah’s redistricting committee be biased?

Speaker Lockhart and President Waddoups apparently did not try to stack the redistricting committee. Yesterday, legislative leaders announced which members of the Utah legislature would serve on the redistricting committee. Let’s consider which groups are well represented on this committee … Continue reading

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Where have all the freshman legislators gone?

Despite the crummy salary, service in the Utah legislature has become a career. Take a look at the figure below (click to enlarge). For each odd-numbered year (i.e. each year after an election), it shows what percentage of Utah legislators … Continue reading

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Do we live in a democracy or a republic?

Maybe it’s not a coincidence that we began referring to ourselves as a “democracy” more frequently at the same time that our country became more (directly) democratic. Do we live in a democracy or a republic? Let’s ask Google. I … Continue reading

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