Return to the Guide to the Utah Legislature.
During each year's 45-day legislative session, legislators cast hundreds of floor votes. Most things pass by overwhelming majorities. That's not surprising. Many unpopular bills die or get amended in committee, limiting the number of controversial bills that reach the floor. And legislators hear bills at such a breathtaking pace, spending only 2-4 minutes discussing a typical bill before voting on it, that many vote "aye" simply because they have not had the chance to discover flaws in the bill (read more here).
Of course, some legislators vote "nay" far more often than others. Oddly, in most years, it is members of the majority party, not the minority, who cast the most "nay" votes—even as other members of the majority cast the fewest. Just for fun, I list the percent of floor votes that each legislator voted "nay" on in 2012.
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Legislator | Party | Year | Chamber | # nay votes | # votes held | % nay votes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adams, J. Stuart | R | 2012 | Senate | 17 | 890 | 1.9% |
Anderson, Casey O. | R | 2012 | Senate | 94 | 890 | 10.6% |
Anderson, Johnny | R | 2012 | House | 69 | 651 | 10.6% |
Arent, Patrice M. | D | 2012 | House | 79 | 651 | 12.1% |
Barlow, Stewart | R | 2012 | House | 27 | 651 | 4.1% |
Barrus, Roger E. | R | 2012 | House | 40 | 651 | 6.1% |
Bird, Jim | R | 2012 | House | 93 | 651 | 14.3% |
Bramble, Curtis S. | R | 2012 | Senate | 19 | 890 | 2.1% |
Briscoe, Joel K. | D | 2012 | House | 87 | 651 | 13.4% |
Brown, Derek E. | R | 2012 | House | 31 | 651 | 4.8% |
Brown, Melvin R. | R | 2012 | House | 18 | 651 | 2.8% |
Butterfield, David G. | R | 2012 | House | 61 | 651 | 9.4% |
Chavez-Houck, Rebecca | D | 2012 | House | 86 | 651 | 13.2% |
Christensen, Allen M. | R | 2012 | Senate | 19 | 890 | 2.1% |
Christensen, LaVar | R | 2012 | House | 38 | 651 | 5.8% |
Cosgrove, Tim M. | D | 2012 | House | 79 | 651 | 12.1% |
Cox, Fred C. | R | 2012 | House | 43 | 651 | 6.6% |
Davis, Gene | D | 2012 | Senate | 57 | 890 | 6.4% |
Daw, Bradley M. | R | 2012 | House | 43 | 651 | 6.6% |
Dayton, Margaret | R | 2012 | Senate | 80 | 890 | 9.0% |
Dee, Brad L. | R | 2012 | House | 40 | 651 | 6.1% |
Dougall, John | R | 2012 | House | 100 | 651 | 15.4% |
Doughty, Brian | D | 2012 | House | 93 | 651 | 14.3% |
Draxler, Jack R. | R | 2012 | House | 31 | 651 | 4.8% |
Duckworth, Susan | D | 2012 | House | 67 | 651 | 10.3% |
Dunnigan, James A. | R | 2012 | House | 44 | 651 | 6.8% |
Edwards, Rebecca P. | R | 2012 | House | 29 | 651 | 4.5% |
Eliason, Steve | R | 2012 | House | 25 | 651 | 3.8% |
Escamilla, Luz Robles | D | 2012 | Senate | 76 | 890 | 8.5% |
Fisher, Janice M. | D | 2012 | House | 77 | 651 | 11.8% |
Frank, Craig A. | R | 2012 | House | 68 | 651 | 10.4% |
Froerer, Gage | R | 2012 | House | 26 | 651 | 4.0% |
Galvez, Brad J. | R | 2012 | House | 39 | 651 | 6.0% |
Gibson, Francis D. | R | 2012 | House | 61 | 651 | 9.4% |
Greenwood, Richard A. | R | 2012 | House | 51 | 651 | 7.8% |
Grover, Keith | R | 2012 | House | 36 | 651 | 5.5% |
Handy, Stephen G. | R | 2012 | House | 35 | 651 | 5.4% |
Harper, Wayne A. | R | 2012 | House | 51 | 651 | 7.8% |
Hemingway, Lynn N. | D | 2012 | House | 85 | 651 | 13.1% |
Hendrickson, Neal B. | D | 2012 | House | 47 | 651 | 7.2% |
Herrod, Christopher N. | R | 2012 | House | 56 | 651 | 8.6% |
Hillyard, Lyle W. | R | 2012 | Senate | 39 | 890 | 4.4% |
Hinkins, David P. | R | 2012 | Senate | 46 | 890 | 5.2% |
Hughes, Gregory H. | R | 2012 | House | 28 | 651 | 4.3% |
Hutchings, Eric K. | R | 2012 | House | 25 | 651 | 3.8% |
Ipson, Don L. | R | 2012 | House | 17 | 651 | 2.6% |
Ivory, Ken | R | 2012 | House | 53 | 651 | 8.1% |
Jenkins, Scott K. | R | 2012 | Senate | 54 | 890 | 6.1% |
Jones, Patricia W. | D | 2012 | Senate | 55 | 890 | 6.2% |
King, Brian S. | D | 2012 | House | 77 | 651 | 11.8% |
Kiser, Todd E. | R | 2012 | House | 39 | 651 | 6.0% |
Knudson, Peter C. | R | 2012 | Senate | 21 | 890 | 2.4% |
Last, Bradley G. | R | 2012 | House | 31 | 651 | 4.8% |
Litvack, David | D | 2012 | House | 70 | 651 | 10.8% |
Lockhart, Rebecca D. | R | 2012 | House | 39 | 651 | 6.0% |
Madsen, Mark B. | R | 2012 | Senate | 44 | 890 | 4.9% |
Mathis, John G. | R | 2012 | House | 50 | 651 | 7.7% |
Mayne, Karen | D | 2012 | Senate | 51 | 890 | 5.7% |
McAdams, Benjamin M. | D | 2012 | Senate | 83 | 890 | 9.3% |
McCay, Daniel | R | 2012 | House | 84 | 651 | 12.9% |
McIff, Kay L. | R | 2012 | House | 20 | 651 | 3.1% |
Menlove, Ronda Rudd | R | 2012 | House | 38 | 651 | 5.8% |
Morgan, Karen W. | D | 2012 | Senate | 62 | 890 | 7.0% |
Morley, Michael T. | R | 2012 | House | 81 | 651 | 12.4% |
Moss, Carol Spackman | D | 2012 | House | 82 | 651 | 12.6% |
Newbold, Merlynn T. | R | 2012 | House | 54 | 651 | 8.3% |
Niederhauser, Wayne L. | R | 2012 | Senate | 26 | 890 | 2.9% |
Nielson, Jim | R | 2012 | House | 51 | 651 | 7.8% |
Noel, Michael E. | R | 2012 | House | 33 | 651 | 5.1% |
Oda, Curtis | R | 2012 | House | 46 | 651 | 7.1% |
Okerlund, Ralph | R | 2012 | Senate | 19 | 890 | 2.1% |
Osmond, Aaron | R | 2012 | Senate | 22 | 890 | 2.5% |
Painter, Patrick | R | 2012 | House | 30 | 651 | 4.6% |
Perry, Lee B. | R | 2012 | House | 42 | 651 | 6.5% |
Peterson, Jeremy A. | R | 2012 | House | 34 | 651 | 5.2% |
Peterson, Val L. | R | 2012 | House | 53 | 651 | 8.1% |
Pitcher, Dixon M. | R | 2012 | House | 29 | 651 | 4.5% |
Poulson, Marie H. | D | 2012 | House | 71 | 651 | 10.9% |
Powell, Kraig | R | 2012 | House | 51 | 651 | 7.8% |
Ray, Paul | R | 2012 | House | 28 | 651 | 4.3% |
Reid, Stuart C. | R | 2012 | Senate | 29 | 890 | 3.3% |
Romero, Ross I. | D | 2012 | Senate | 85 | 890 | 9.6% |
Sagers, Douglas | R | 2012 | House | 39 | 651 | 6.0% |
Sandstrom, Stephen E. | R | 2012 | House | 37 | 651 | 5.7% |
Sanpei, Dean | R | 2012 | House | 33 | 651 | 5.1% |
Seelig, Jennifer M. | D | 2012 | House | 73 | 651 | 11.2% |
Snow, V. Lowry | R | 2012 | House | 23 | 651 | 3.5% |
Stephenson, Howard A. | R | 2012 | Senate | 44 | 890 | 4.9% |
Stevenson, Jerry W. | R | 2012 | Senate | 19 | 890 | 2.1% |
Sumsion, Kenneth W. | R | 2012 | House | 76 | 651 | 11.7% |
Thatcher, Daniel W. | R | 2012 | Senate | 40 | 890 | 4.5% |
Urquhart, Stephen H. | R | 2012 | Senate | 25 | 890 | 2.8% |
Valentine, John L. | R | 2012 | Senate | 30 | 890 | 3.4% |
Van Tassell, Kevin T. | R | 2012 | Senate | 23 | 890 | 2.6% |
Vickers, Evan J. | R | 2012 | House | 35 | 651 | 5.4% |
Waddoups, Michael G. | R | 2012 | Senate | 33 | 890 | 3.7% |
Watkins, Christine F. | D | 2012 | House | 58 | 651 | 8.9% |
Webb, R. Curt | R | 2012 | House | 35 | 651 | 5.4% |
Weiler, Todd | R | 2012 | Senate | 34 | 890 | 3.8% |
Wheatley, Mark A. | D | 2012 | House | 76 | 651 | 11.7% |
Wilcox, Ryan D. | R | 2012 | House | 36 | 651 | 5.5% |
Wiley, Larry B. | D | 2012 | House | 79 | 651 | 12.1% |
Wilson, Brad R. | R | 2012 | House | 34 | 651 | 5.2% |
Wright, Bill | R | 2012 | House | 52 | 651 | 8.0% |