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Senator Don L. Ipson
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 2009
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2024
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2024: 8
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2024: 8

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Sen. Don L. Ipson'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.

Sen. Ipson's statistical profile

2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenateSenate
  District H75H75H75H75H75H75H75H75S29S29S29S29S29S29S29S29
  Party RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneAsstWhipAsstWhipNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 1234567812345678
Years comparison LowerLowerLowerLower====HigherHigherLowerLowerLowerLower========
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Ipson 551014532233533584
Chamber average 5.96.16.36.45.86.46.77.0119.6109.79.49.61110
Difference -0.9-1.1+3.7+7.6-0.8-3.4-4.7-5.0-7.6-6.6-5.2-6.7-6.4-4.6-3.1-6.3
Comparison ====HigherHigherHigher==LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Sen. Ipson's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 551014532233533584
Bills passed 55812531123533483
Passage rate 100%100%80%86%100%100%50%50%67%100%100%100%100%80%100%75%
Chamber average 60%61%55%54%66%52%63%54%74%83%78%70%71%71%72%72%
Difference +40+39+25+32+34+48-13.0-3.5-6.7+17+22+30+29+9.1+28+3.2
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherLower====HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==HigherHigher==
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 28157126791315121110101322
Chamber average 2.82.83.33.13.53.53.83.31314141312131516
Difference -0.8+5.2+12+3.9+8.5+2.5+3.2+5.7-0.4+0.8-1.6-2.3-2.4-3.4-2.2+5.5
Comparison ==HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==========Lower==Higher
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 27253538468630303131257165167246436326
Total votes held 6006146516516586646996579139269759109199311,0581,069
Absentee rate 4.5%4.1%5.4%5.8%7.0%13%4.3%4.6%3.4%3.3%26%18%18%26%41%30%
Chamber average 6.0%6.8%7.1%5.7%5.9%6.2%6.3%6.4%10%13%11%11%8.0%12%13%13%
Difference -1.5-2.7-1.7+0.1+1.1+6.8-2.0-1.8-7.0-9.8+15+6.5+10.0+14+28+17
Comparison LowerLower======HigherHigher====LowerLowerLowerHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
"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 2620171730303429192819192671312
Total votes held 6006146516516586646996579139269759109199311,0581,069
"Nay" rate 4.3%3.3%2.6%2.6%4.6%4.5%4.9%4.4%2.1%3.0%1.9%2.1%2.8%0.8%1.2%1.1%
Chamber average 8.1%7.4%8.4%7.8%7.3%7.5%8.6%7.3%2.8%3.2%2.7%2.5%4.0%2.6%3.4%3.9%
Difference -3.8-4.1-5.8-5.2-2.7-3.0-3.7-2.9-0.7-0.2-0.8-0.4-1.2-1.8-2.2-2.8
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower====Lower==LowerLowerLowerLower
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 84%86%91%92%78%80%84%78%79%71%76%84%86%89%92%93%
Chamber average 66%69%69%67%67%67%67%66%68%68%70%71%70%71%74%74%
Difference +17+17+22+25+11+13+16+12+11+2.5+5.4+13+16+18+18+20
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher====HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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.
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Sen. Ipson 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) 96%98%97%97%98%97%97%96%98%98%98%98%98%99%99%100%
Chamber average 94%95%94%94%95%94%94%95%98%97%98%98%97%98%98%98%
Difference +2.0+3.6+3.5+3.1+2.8+2.6+3.2+1.7+0.4+0.2-0.1-0.1+0.7+1.3+0.4+1.6
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher========HigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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) 81%90%90%84%87%86%91%92%87%96%97%94%90%90%97%98%
Chamber average 81%84%85%83%81%80%82%85%86%85%92%91%88%92%94%94%
Difference -0.3+5.3+4.6+1.2+5.9+6.1+8.8+6.5+0.4+10+5.6+2.9+1.8-1.8+2.5+3.9
Comparison ==HigherHigher==HigherHigherHigherHigher==HigherHigherHigherHigher====HigherHigher

Votes on Sen. Ipson's bills

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

Sen. Ipson's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Sen. Ipson 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
2012 Ipson HB0325 35 36 1.4% House/ failed
2012 Ipson HB0325 41 31 14% House/ passed 3rd reading
2020 Ipson SB0173S05 40 30 14% House/ passed 3rd reading
2012 Ipson HB0325 44 29 21% House/ motion to reconsider
2011 Ipson HB0404 45 28 23% House/ passed 3rd reading
2011 Ipson HB0404 46 24 31% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2023 Ipson SB0288 50 24 35% House/ passed 3rd reading
2021 Ipson SB0222S01 48 20 41% House/ passed 3rd reading
2011 Ipson HB0404 20 7 48% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings
2020 Ipson SB0109S01 57 11 68% House/ passed 3rd reading

Sen. Ipson's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Sen. Ipson 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
2024 Ipson SB0241S02 27 0 100% Senate/ concurs with House amendment
2024 Ipson SB0241S02 72 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Ipson SB0241S02 26 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Ipson SB0074 71 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Ipson SB0074 29 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Ipson SB0074 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2024 Ipson SB0008 70 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Ipson SB0008 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2023 Ipson SCR004 24 0 100% Senate/ concurs with House amendment
2023 Ipson SCR004 74 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading