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Representative Merrill F. Nelson
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 2013
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2022
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2022: 10
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2022: 0

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Rep. Merrill F. Nelson's service in the Utah legislature. I highlight differences from chamber averages using little green and red arrows. The number of arrows is statistically determined. More arrows indicate a larger difference compared to the chamber average, in relation to how much diversity there is among legislators on this metric. If all legislators introduce exactly 5 bills, then a legislator who introduces 10 is very different; if legislators vary wildly in how many bills they introduce (but the average is still 5), then a legislator who introduces 10 bills may be less different from average. The standard deviation measures this diversity.

Rep. Nelson's statistical profile

2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouse
  District H68H68H68H68H68H68H68H68H68H68
  Party RRRRRRRRRR
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 12345678910
Years comparison LowerLowerLowerLower====HigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Nelson 4164645377
Chamber average 5.86.46.77.06.77.17.37.36.67.1
Difference -1.8-5.4-0.7-3.0-0.7-3.1-2.3-4.3+0.4-0.1
Comparison LowerLowerLower==Lower==LowerLowerLowerLower====
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Rep. Nelson's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 4164645377
Bills passed 4042231355
Passage rate 100%0.0%67%50%33%75%20%100%71%71%
Chamber average 66%52%63%54%61%53%63%58%60%58%
Difference +34-52.2+4.0-3.5-28.4+22-43.5+42+11+13
Comparison HigherHigherLowerLower====LowerLowerHigherLowerLowerHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Bills floor sponsored. A "floor sponsor" is like a secondary sponsor of a bill. After a bill passes the sponsor's chamber, its sponsor needs to find a "floor sponsor" in the other chamber to usher it through the other chamber.
Total floor sponsored 1110032123
Chamber average 3.53.53.83.33.63.43.43.13.13.0
Difference -2.5-2.5-2.8-3.3-3.6-0.4-1.4-2.1-1.1+0.0
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLower==LowerLowerLower==
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Missed votes (learn more). Usually missed votes occur because of competing obligations within the legislature, not because the legislator has left the capitol.
Missed votes 28284116413136191432
Total votes held 658664699657727734752698666711
Absentee rate 4.3%4.2%5.9%2.4%5.6%4.2%4.8%2.7%2.1%4.5%
Chamber average 5.9%6.2%6.3%6.4%5.2%8.0%6.4%7.1%6.1%5.7%
Difference -1.6-2.0-0.4-4.0+0.4-3.8-1.6-4.4-4.0-1.2
Comparison ==Lower==Lower======LowerLower==
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
"Nay" votes (learn more). Most floor votes pass by overwhelming majorities, since unpopular bills get weeded out long before they reach the floor. As a result, "nay" votes are rare.
"Nay" votes 42556149466752546065
Total votes held 658664699657727734752698666711
"Nay" rate 6.4%8.3%8.7%7.5%6.3%9.1%6.9%7.7%9.0%9.1%
Chamber average 7.3%7.5%8.6%7.3%7.1%6.5%6.5%7.0%7.7%6.5%
Difference -0.9+0.8+0.1+0.2-0.8+2.6+0.4+0.7+1.3+2.6
Comparison Lower========Higher====HigherHigher
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Winning side rate (learn more). What percentage of the time (excluding near-unanimous votes) is the legislator on the winning side of a floor vote?
Winning side rate 67%68%67%71%73%67%71%67%66%63%
Chamber average 67%67%67%66%67%66%68%67%66%67%
Difference +0.7+0.4+0.0+4.9+6.2+0.4+3.0-0.3+0.4-3.8
Comparison ======HigherHigher========Lower
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Ideology score (NOMINATE method) (learn more). Using W-NOMINATE algorithm developed by Congressional scholars, I calculate each legislator's relative ideology after each General Session. I describe the method here. Scores have no intrinsic meaning. They are only relative: A legislator with a higher score is to the right ideologically of a legislator with a lower scale. Scores may be compared only within a single chamber and a single year. In most years, a conservative Republican will have a score above 0; a score close to 100 is extreme.
Contact me for scores. They get misinterpreted often enough that I now provide them only to political scientists.
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Rep. Nelson support his/her party? That is, what percentage of the time does the legislator vote with the majority of the other members of his/her party? Scores are usually easily above 90%.
Score (overall) 93%93%92%93%95%92%95%93%92%91%
Chamber average 95%94%94%95%95%94%95%95%94%95%
Difference -1.4-0.9-2.3-2.00.0-2.1-0.8-1.9-1.2-3.9
Comparison Lower==LowerLower======Lower==LowerLower
 
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Party support score (party-line only) (learn more). This is the same as the "raw" party support score, but we look only at party-line votes when calculating this. A "party-line" vote occurs when the majority of Democrats votes against the majority of Republicans. Although party-line votes are rare, looking at the legislator's party support score in this setting can be revealing.
Score (party-line only) 62%71%67%75%86%72%78%78%77%74%
Chamber average 81%80%82%85%87%83%85%83%85%84%
Difference -19.0-8.9-15.2-10.4-1.2-10.8-7.1-5.7-8.0-9.7
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower==LowerLowerLowerLowerLower

Votes on Rep. Nelson's bills

Many votes have been held on bills sponsored by Rep. Nelson. In the interest of space, I display only the most and least divisive votes held on Rep. Nelson's bills.

Rep. Nelson's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Nelson that had the closest vote margin (as a percent of the total votes cast). When there are ties, I list the most recent bills first.

Year Sponsor Bill Ayes Nays Margin
(as % of total votes)
Type of vote
2022 Nelson HB0205 11 11 0.0% Senate/ failed
2017 Nelson HJR003S01 12 16 14% Senate/ failed
2017 Nelson HJR003S01 45 29 22% House/ passed 3rd reading
2016 Nelson HJR005 45 28 23% House/ passed 3rd reading
2022 Nelson HB0219 44 27 24% House/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Nelson HB0093 47 25 31% House/ passed 3rd reading
2022 Nelson HB0143 18 8 38% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2022 Nelson HB0143 21 6 56% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2020 Nelson HJR001 58 16 57% House/ passed 3rd reading
2020 Nelson HB0017S01 58 16 57% House/ passed 3rd reading

Rep. Nelson's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Nelson that had the widest vote margin (as a percent of the total votes cast). When there are ties, I display the most recent bills first.

Year Sponsor Bill Ayes Nays Margin
(as % of total votes)
Type of vote
2022 Nelson HJR013S03 65 0 100% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2022 Nelson HJR013S03 28 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2022 Nelson HJR013S03 71 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2022 Nelson HB0344S03 70 0 100% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2022 Nelson HB0344S03 69 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2022 Nelson HB0219 22 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2022 Nelson HB0219 24 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2022 Nelson HB0205 68 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2021 Nelson HB0276 20 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2021 Nelson HB0276 71 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading