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Representative Robert M. Spendlove
Utah legislator profile

Years served in the Utah legislature

First session in legislature: 2014
Most recent year of service for which data are available: 2024
Total sessions served in Utah House as of 2024: 11
Total sessions served in Utah Senate as of 2024: 0

How to read the statistical profile

I present a variety of statistics about Rep. Robert M. Spendlove'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. Spendlove's statistical profile

20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Service summary. Service prior to 2007 (if any) is not shown here. My database goes back only to 2007.
  Chamber HouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouseHouse
  District H49H49H49H49H49H49H49H49H49H42H42
  Party RRRRRRRRRRR
Leadership NoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Years in chamber 1234567891011
Years comparison LowerLowerLowerLower========HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bills sponsored (learn more) Bills written and promoted by the legislator in his/her own chamber.
Introduced by Spendlove 47487766967
Chamber average 6.46.77.06.77.17.37.36.67.18.18.5
Difference -2.4+0.3-3.0+1.3-0.1-0.3-1.3-0.6+1.9-2.1-1.5
Comparison Lower==Lower======Lower==HigherLowerLower
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Bill passage rate (learn more). What percent of Rep. Spendlove's sponsored bills pass and are officially "enrolled"? (I ignore whether the governor signed or vetoted the bill.)
Bills introduced 47487766967
Bills passed 32244543866
Passage rate 75%29%50%50%57%71%67%50%89%100%86%
Chamber average 52%63%54%61%53%63%58%60%58%56%56%
Difference +23-34.0-3.5-11.4+3.6+7.5+9.4-9.8+31+44+30
Comparison HigherLowerLower==Lower======LowerHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 01242558976
Chamber average 3.53.83.33.63.43.43.13.13.03.53.3
Difference -3.5-2.8-1.3+0.4-1.4+1.6+1.9+4.9+6.0+3.5+2.7
Comparison LowerLowerLower==LowerHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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 35142862851126839206334343
Total votes held 664699657727734752698666711803845
Absentee rate 5.3%2.0%4.3%8.5%12%15%9.7%5.9%29%42%41%
Chamber average 6.2%6.3%6.4%5.2%8.0%6.4%7.1%6.1%5.7%6.4%6.8%
Difference -0.9-4.3-2.1+3.3+4.0+8.6+2.6-0.2+23+36+34
Comparison ==LowerLowerHigher==HigherHigherHigher==HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
"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 2740292414171937201914
Total votes held 664699657727734752698666711803845
"Nay" rate 4.1%5.7%4.4%3.3%1.9%2.3%2.7%5.6%2.8%2.4%1.7%
Chamber average 7.5%8.6%7.3%7.1%6.5%6.5%7.0%7.7%6.5%7.1%5.7%
Difference -3.4-2.9-2.9-3.8-4.6-4.2-4.3-2.1-3.7-4.7-4.0
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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%76%80%75%85%83%85%75%75%74%80%
Chamber average 67%67%66%67%66%68%67%66%67%69%68%
Difference +17+9.0+13+8.2+19+15+18+9.0+8.3+4.6+13
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigherHigher
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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.
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Party support score (overall) (learn more). How consistently does Rep. Spendlove 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%95%97%96%97%96%97%96%96%96%95%
Chamber average 94%94%95%95%94%95%95%94%95%96%96%
Difference +2.4+1.2+1.9+1.0+3.6+0.5+1.9+2.5+0.70.0-1.0
Comparison HigherHigherHigherHigher====Higher==Higher==Lower
 
20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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) 75%74%78%80%79%73%76%81%71%80%77%
Chamber average 80%82%85%87%83%85%83%85%84%88%87%
Difference -5.1-7.5-7.5-7.6-4.5-12.1-8.0-3.3-12.8-7.5-10.6
Comparison LowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLowerLower==LowerLowerLowerLowerLower

Votes on Rep. Spendlove's bills

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

Rep. Spendlove's most divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Spendlove 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
2018 Spendlove HB0382S03 40 27 19% House/ passed 3rd reading
2018 Spendlove HB0472 47 27 27% House/ passed 3rd reading
2014 Spendlove HCR005 51 22 40% House/ passed 3rd reading
2018 Spendlove HB0382S03 52 22 41% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2022 Spendlove HB0373 19 8 41% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2018 Spendlove HB0472 20 8 43% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2022 Spendlove HB0032S01 56 16 56% House/ passed 3rd reading
2023 Spendlove HB0477 51 14 57% House/ passed 3rd reading
2016 Spendlove HB0290S01 19 4 65% Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2022 Spendlove HB0121S01 21 4 68% Senate/ passed 3rd reading

Rep. Spendlove's least divisive bills

Listed below are the 10 votes on bills sponsored by Rep. Spendlove 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 Spendlove HCR018 29 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2024 Spendlove HB0488S02 71 0 100% House/ concurs with Senate amendment
2024 Spendlove HB0488S02 27 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2024 Spendlove HB0488S02 72 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Spendlove HB0051S01 73 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2024 Spendlove HB0008 24 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2024 Spendlove HB0008 73 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2023 Spendlove HB0433 25 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2023 Spendlove HB0433 68 0 100% House/ passed 3rd reading
2023 Spendlove HB0408 26 0 100% Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension