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Representative Marie H. Poulson
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 2009
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2020
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2020: 12
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2020: 0

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Rep. Marie H. Poulson'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. Poulson's statistical profile

200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouse
  District H46H46H46H46H46H46H46H46H46H46H46H46
  Party DDDDDDDDDDDD
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 123456789101112
Years comparison LowerLowerLowerLower====HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Poulson 132415232223
Chamber average 5.96.16.36.45.86.46.77.06.77.17.37.3
Difference -4.9-3.1-4.3-2.4-4.8-1.4-4.7-4.0-4.7-5.1-5.3-4.3
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Rep. Poulson's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 132415232223
Bills passed 022102231111
Passage rate 0.0%67%100%25%0.0%40%100%100%50%50%50%33%
Chamber average 60%61%55%54%66%52%63%54%61%53%63%58%
Difference -59.9+6.1+45-29.3-65.8-12.2+37+46-11.4-3.4-13.5-24.6
Comparison LowerLower==HigherHigherLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerHigherHigherHigherHigherLower==LowerLower
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
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 111001001011
Chamber average 2.82.83.33.13.53.53.83.33.63.43.43.1
Difference -1.8-1.8-2.3-3.1-3.5-2.5-3.8-3.3-2.6-3.4-2.4-2.1
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
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 441469311221261414
Total votes held 600614651651658664699657727734752698
Absentee rate 0.7%0.7%2.2%0.9%1.4%0.5%1.6%3.3%1.7%0.8%1.9%2.0%
Chamber average 6.0%6.8%7.1%5.7%5.9%6.2%6.3%6.4%5.2%8.0%6.4%7.1%
Difference -5.3-6.1-4.9-4.8-4.5-5.7-4.7-3.1-3.5-7.2-4.5-5.1
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
"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 614469715858847593705755
Total votes held 600614651651658664699657727734752698
"Nay" rate 10%7.2%11%11%8.8%8.7%12%11%13%9.5%7.6%7.9%
Chamber average 8.1%7.4%8.4%7.8%7.3%7.5%8.6%7.3%7.1%6.5%6.5%7.0%
Difference +1.9-0.2+2.6+3.2+1.5+1.2+3.4+3.7+5.9+3.0+1.1+0.9
Comparison Higher==HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
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 52%61%51%56%44%57%56%58%52%57%52%61%
Chamber average 66%69%69%67%67%67%67%66%67%66%68%67%
Difference -15.0-7.6-18.6-11.1-22.1-10.0-11.6-8.1-14.9-8.9-16.4-6.0
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
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.
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Rep. Poulson 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) 97%96%96%98%97%97%99%98%98%99%98%98%
Chamber average 94%95%94%94%95%94%94%95%95%94%95%95%
Difference +2.3+1.7+2.0+3.7+2.2+3.2+4.7+3.7+3.4+4.7+3.0+3.3
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
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) 84%79%78%89%84%85%93%89%93%92%88%94%
Chamber average 81%84%85%83%81%80%82%85%87%83%85%83%
Difference +2.4-5.4-7.0+6.4+2.8+5.2+11+3.8+5.5+8.8+2.9+10
Comparison ==LowerLowerHigher==HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher

Votes on Rep. Poulson's bills

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

Rep. Poulson's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Poulson 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
2014 Poulson HB0091S01 35 40 6.7% House/ failed
2014 Poulson HB0055 29 45 22% House/ failed
2010 Poulson HB0079 27 47 27% House/ failed
2019 Poulson HB0223S05 18 9 33% Senate Conference Committee - Final Passage
2010 Poulson HB0097 49 21 40% House/ passed 3rd reading
2019 Poulson HB0223S05 51 21 42% House/ passed 3rd reading
2019 Poulson HB0223S05 19 49 44% House/ substitute adoption failed from # 0 to # 2
2017 Poulson HB0241S01 54 18 50% House/ passed 3rd reading
2012 Poulson HB0021 61 7 79% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2012 Poulson HB0021 62 7 80% House/ passed 3rd reading

Rep. Poulson's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Poulson 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
2020 Poulson HCR018 25 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2020 Poulson HCR018 62 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2020 Poulson HB0175S02 70 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2019 Poulson HB0223S05 74 0 100% House Conference Committee - Final Passage
2018 Poulson HB0200 21 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2018 Poulson HB0200 71 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Poulson HB0262 24 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2017 Poulson HB0262 67 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2016 Poulson HB0254S01 20 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2016 Poulson HB0201S02 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension