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Representative Dean Sanpei
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 2011
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2017
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2017: 7
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2017: 0

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Rep. Dean Sanpei'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. Sanpei's statistical profile

2011201220132014201520162017
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouse
  District H63H63H63H63H63H63H63
  Party RRRRRRR
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 1234567
Years comparison LowerLower========Higher
 
2011201220132014201520162017
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Sanpei 0332775
Chamber average 6.36.45.86.46.77.06.7
Difference -6.3-3.4-2.8-4.4+0.30.0-1.7
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower====Lower
 
2011201220132014201520162017
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Rep. Sanpei's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 0332775
Bills passed 0331664
Passage rate 0.0%100%100%50%86%86%80%
Chamber average 55%54%66%52%63%54%61%
Difference -55.0+46+34-2.2+23+32+19
Comparison LowerLowerHigherHigherHigherHigher==HigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2011201220132014201520162017
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 1023354
Chamber average 3.33.13.53.53.83.33.6
Difference -2.3-3.1-1.5-0.5-0.8+1.7+0.4
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLower====Higher==
 
2011201220132014201520162017
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 24311913810086
Total votes held 651651658664699657727
Absentee rate 0.3%0.6%4.7%2.9%20%15%12%
Chamber average 7.1%5.7%5.9%6.2%6.3%6.4%5.2%
Difference -6.8-5.1-1.2-3.3+14+8.6+6.8
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLower==LowerHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
2011201220132014201520162017
"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 26333232392532
Total votes held 651651658664699657727
"Nay" rate 4.0%5.1%4.9%4.8%5.6%3.8%4.4%
Chamber average 8.4%7.8%7.3%7.5%8.6%7.3%7.1%
Difference -4.4-2.7-2.4-2.7-3.0-3.5-2.7
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
2011201220132014201520162017
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 82%77%83%74%84%82%66%
Chamber average 69%67%67%67%67%66%67%
Difference +13+9.5+17+6.9+16+16-0.8
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==
 
2011201220132014201520162017
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.
 
2011201220132014201520162017
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Rep. Sanpei 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%97%99%98%97%97%95%
Chamber average 94%94%95%94%94%95%95%
Difference +3.1+2.3+4.0+3.6+3.3+2.5+0.2
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==
 
2011201220132014201520162017
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) 93%91%93%99%92%92%86%
Chamber average 85%83%81%80%82%85%87%
Difference +8.0+8.6+12+18+10+7.0-0.9
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher==

Votes on Rep. Sanpei's bills

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

Rep. Sanpei's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Sanpei 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
2015 Sanpei HB0002 28 44 22% House/ substitute adoption failed from # 0 to # 1
2015 Sanpei HB0008 19 54 48% House/ floor amendment failed # 1
2015 Sanpei HB0333 62 11 70% House/ passed 3rd reading
2015 Sanpei HB0007S01 63 11 70% House/ passed 3rd reading
2015 Sanpei HB0002 63 10 73% House/ passed 3rd reading
2015 Sanpei HB0008 64 10 73% House/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Sanpei HB0003 67 8 79% House/ passed 3rd reading
2013 Sanpei HB0292S01 20 1 90% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2013 Sanpei HB0292S01 21 1 91% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2016 Sanpei HB0003 68 3 92% House/ passed 3rd reading

Rep. Sanpei's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Sanpei 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
2017 Sanpei HJR015 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2017 Sanpei HJR015 67 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Sanpei HB0185 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Sanpei HB0185 29 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2017 Sanpei HB0185 75 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Sanpei HB0007S01 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2017 Sanpei HB0007S01 75 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2017 Sanpei HB0003 29 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2016 Sanpei HJR007 21 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2016 Sanpei HJR007 70 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading