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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 Posts are not peer reviewed and may discuss work in progress that is subject to future revision.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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Tag Archives: legislature
How educated are Utah’s legislators? An update
Back in February, I released data on the educational attainment of Utah’s legislators. I found that the Utah Senate’s education level was above average for a state legislative chamber, while the Utah House was well below average. Details are here: … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged education, james madison, john adams, legislature
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How educated are Utah’s legislators? An update
How badly were legislative districts gerrymandered in 2001?
Although Democrats win 30% of the Utah House votes statewide but only 23% of the seats, we cannot conclude that partisan gerrymandering is to blame. If you add up all the votes cast for Utah House candidates statewide in 2010, … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged counties, demographics, imbalance, legislature, redistricting, single member districts, utah county
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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
Posted in Everything
Tagged congress, jim matheson, legislature, partisanship, redistricting, republic
2 Comments
Will redistricting hurt Democrats in the state legislature?
Population change may cost Democrats 2 seats in the Utah House and 1 in the Senate. A few days ago, we posted some information about population change within Utah’s 75 state House districts. Because the 2010 Census reports a population … Continue reading
Which counties will gain and lose seats in the Utah legislature?
Utah County and Davis County (combined) need to gain three districts, but Salt Lake County needs to lose three. Utah’s House of Representatives has 75 districts. Although most people seem to be talking about how the legislature will draw Utah’s … Continue reading
Redistricting backgrounders
Over the next couple weeks, we will publish several posts looking at Utah’s ongoing redistricting process. We’ll begin by looking closely at the 2010 U.S. Census results and discussing what they might mean for redistricting. We’ll also take a look … Continue reading
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Tagged commentary, counties, demographics, imbalance, immigration, jim matheson, legislature, partisanship, redistricting
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Redistricting backgrounders
Who could run for Speaker or Senate President?
What makes a legislator a good candidate for leadership? Last fall, Becky Lockhart narrowly won the support of her fellow House Republicans and became the new Speaker, ousting David Clark. Meanwhile, Michael Waddoups fought off a challenge from Dan Liljenquist, … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged ideology, leadership, legislature, median voter theorem, nominate, senate president, speaker of the house
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Who could run for Speaker or Senate President?
Who is REALLY the most conservative Utah legislator?
Interest group ratings are certainly useful, but it turns out there’s a much, much better way to figure out which legislators are most conservative and most liberal. Credit where it’s due: Robert Richards, my undergraduate research assistant extraordinaire, contributed heavily … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged ideology, legislature, measurement, nominate, rankings, roll call votes
2 Comments
What do Utahns know about the LDS Church’s stance on immigration?
Just what do Utahns believe about the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on immigration? Paul Rolly in his column expresses incredulity at calls from Salt Lake County Republican convention delegates to overturn the state’s recent … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged immigration, legislature, mormons, utah compact, utah voter poll
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What do Utahns know about the LDS Church’s stance on immigration?
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 →