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We are professors of political science sharing academic research relevant to Utah. Posts are not peer reviewed and may discuss work in progress that is subject to future revision. Learn more. Each post reflects only its author’s views.
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Author Archives: Adam Brown
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged courts, measurement, utah supreme court
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Utah’s Supreme Court, where unanimity is the rule
Utahns don’t know much about Utah government
Utahns don’t know much about national politics, but they know even less about Utah politics. Although Americans often take pride in living in the world’s oldest democracy, American voters tend to do a very poor job answering basic questions about … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged approval ratings, becky lockhart, congress, democracy, education, federalism, greg bell, ignorance, legislature, lieutenant governor, mormons, utah voter poll, wayne niederhauser
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Utahns don’t know much about Utah government
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 missed the most votes in 2013?
With so much going on in such a short session, it may be inevitable that legislators may miss lots of votes Utah’s Constitution limits the Legislature to convening for only 45 days each year. Once you take out the weekends, … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged absenteeism, leadership, legislature, representation, senate president, speaker of the house
3 Comments
Who ran the most bills in the 2013 Legislature?
Legislators vary widely in how many bills that sponsor in the Utah Legislature. Before we proceed, let’s clarify what “sponsoring” and “floor sponsoring” mean: Sponsoring. This means the legislator came up with the idea for the bill and had it … Continue reading
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
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Tagged consensus, legislature, measurement, rankings, roll call votes
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Who voted “nay” most often in the 2013 Utah Legislature?
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
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Tagged legislative life, legislature, measurement, sponsorship, vetting
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How quickly were bills passed in 2013?
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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The closest votes in the 2013 Legislature
Were Democrats able to pass their bills this year?
The numbers tell a different story: Democratic bills received less favorable treatment than last year. Before the 2013 Utah Legislative session started up, I wrote a post noting that Democrats have seen remarkable success in recent years at passing their … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged backdoor power, democrat, imbalance, leadership, legislature, partisanship, republic, senate president, speaker of the house
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Were Democrats able to pass their bills this year?
Do Utah Legislators work enough to justify their salary?
It’s not much of a stretch to claim that Utah Legislators earn poverty wages. Since passage of HJR006 early in 2013, Utah Legislators will earn $16,500 per year. It can be difficult to know how many hours legislators put in … Continue reading
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Tagged legislative life, legislature, polls, representation, utah legislator survey
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Do Utah Legislators work enough to justify their salary?