A Compilation of Various Ratings of the Voting Records of the Utah Legislature. A listing of other ratings may be found under links at the bottom of the blog.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Conservative - Liberal Index
"by their Fruits shall ye know them"


Once again, the 2009 Voting Records of the Utah Legislature indicate there is a difference between Republicans and Democrats.

For simplicity, Conservatives may be defined as favoring LIMITED Government and PROTECTION of INDIVIDUAL rights and Liberals as in favor of ACTIVIST Government and PROVISION of GROUP rights. The Conservative - Liberal Index (CLI) is a compiled aggregate of various ratings to determine who is "truly" Conservative or "really" Liberal.

The Most Conservative Award for 2009 House goes to Rep. Lockhart at 82.5 with Honorable Mention to Representatives Dougall, 82.2, Frank, 80.8, Herrod, 80.7, Morley, 80.3, Grover, 80.0, Hughes, 79.8, Sumsion, 79.7, Daw, 78.6, and Mathis, 78.5.


Conservative Leader in the Senate was Senator Dayton, 84.9, for the THIRD consecutive year - she again edged out Senators Madsen, 82.3 and Stephenson, 80.5 at the top of the Senate list.

The Most Liberal Award goes to Rep. Chavez-Houck, 13.0, with several Democrats vying for that coveted title; and Senator Romero, 23.3 retains his liberal dominance of the Senate.

This year, ALL Democrats achieved a CLI lower than ALL Republicans, except one. Sen. Mayne, 46.5 showed a higher conservative rating than Rep. McIff, 42.0, the most liberal Republican, and Reps Holdaway and Bird (but they did manage to edge out the most conservative Democrat Representative (Hendrickson, 35.9)

All told, we can count 49 Conservatives (above CLI 60), 29 Liberals (below 40) and 25 Mugwumps, firmly balanced on the fence in the middle. (2008 had 42/29/33). Some might declare that a balanced, moderate group, others might yearn for stronger principles.
Education ratings showed the biggest disparities in the ratings with Parents for Choice being a virtual mirror of Utah Education Association. In an interesting anomaly, ALL of the Democrats in the House voted 100% correct according to the UEA. The GOP exhibited much more diversity in their education votes.

There were some changes in 2009 of groups "rating" our Utah legislators. Equality Utah, which focuses on "gay" rights, only rated some committee members. PCE posted some ratings as mentioned above and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) published at belated report from the previous year.
The Deseret News returned with its "effective legislator" based on passing the highest percentage of bills. Their rating is included for comic relief.

Rating groups used in the index:

GrsRts = GrassRoots claims: "Grass Roots is committed to the Principles of Limited Government, the State and U.S. Constitutions, Representative Government, Participatory Democracy, a Free Market Economy, Separation of Powers, and Family."

UEA = Utah Education Association declares their "mission is to advance the cause of public education by promoting quality teaching and learning and advocating effectively for the rights and interests of its members."

UTA = Utah Taxpayers Association deals mainly with tax issues and "is a non-profit, non-partisan association working for greater efficiency and effectiveness in government."

UFIRE =Utahns for Immigration Reform and Enforcement Illegal immigration issues

PCE = Parents for Choice in Education "dedicated to ensuring every child has equal access to a quality education by empowering parents, increasing choice, and promoting innovative solutions to Utah’s educational challenges."
SIERRA = Sierra Club "activists dedicated to preserving and enjoying the land and quality of life in Utah and the West. "
NFIB = National Federation of Independent Business Reports the "Voting Record on Small Business Issues."
These Ratings were NOT used in CLIndex:
Eqlty = Equality Utah mission: "To secure equal rights and protections for LGBT Utahns and their families."
DNews = Deseret News appears to promote that the more laws, the better.
Each group has different criteria for their ratings, based on votes that the group consider favor or oppose "their" particular issues. Please refer to the individual websites for bills considered and rating considerations which were used.


GrsRts

GrsRts

UEA

UTA

UFIRE

Sierra

PCE

Life

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

CLI

HOUSE

REPUBLICAN

60

69

60

84

69

36

74

65

DEMOCRAT

28

30

100

46

46

81

23

25

SENATE

REPUBLICAN

59

67

40

96

59

53

81

69

DEMOCRAT

26

38

86

68

53

70

38

36

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Utah House CLI 2009

The Conservative Liberal Index rating for the Utah House in 2009.
























































































Representative

GrsRts

GrsRts

UEA

UTA

UFIRE

Sierra

PCE

NFIB

2009

DNEWs

Eqlty

REPUBLICANS

Life

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

2008

CLI

2009

Lockhart

64

R

79

74

36

100

75

25

100

100

82.5

100

Dougall

27

R

73

88

30

100

75

38

100

100

82.2

50

Frank

57

R

81

71

40

94

75

25

100

100

80.8

25

Herrod

62

R

75

83

36

94

90

38

100

100

80.7

63

Morley

66

R

89

94

57

100

85

25

90

100

80.3

100

0

Grover

61

R

68

89

36

94

85

38

100

100

80.0

75

0

Hughes

51

R

74

79

30

94

90

25

82

100

79.8

50

Sumsion

56

R

77

95

42

88

85

38

100

90

79.7

63

Daw

60

R

67

74

30

94

80

43

100

100

78.6

100

0

Mathis

55

R

57

83

40

93

85

14

90

100

78.5

83

Newbold

50

R

71

83

36

94

80

25

82

100

78.0

78

Noel

73

R

62

83

36

94

85

43

100

100

77.9

77

Wimmer

52

R

85

94

42

81

85

50

82

90

74.4

53

Barrus

18

R

59

63

36

88

75

43

100

100

74.1

43

Oda

14

R

77

76

60

93

80

25

80

100

73.0

64

Painter

67

R

63

76

40

93

85

43

80

100

72.5

83

0

Harper

43

R

67

69

40

94

80

29

70

100

72.4

69

Garn

16

R

67

72

40

100

58

25

60

100

71.1

100

0

Wilcox*

7

R

78

78

64

82

62

14

80

na

71.0

100

Gibson, F*

65

R

67

67

55

82

85

29

90

na

71.0

100

0

Clark, S

63

R

53

61

45

88

0

29

100

100

69.7

50

Aagard

15

R

62

71

55

94

75

38

80

100

69.3

80

Hutchings

38

R

53

59

60

77

80

0

80

100

69.2

44

0

Clark, D

74

R

57

60

45

86

0

29

90

89

67.6

100

Fowlke

59

R

52

69

50

94

58

38

80

80

67.3

75

0

Sandstrom

58

R

68

82

73

81

90

38

80

89

66.3

58

0

Gibson, K

6

R

53

78

50

75

60

14

60

100

65.8

100

Ray

13

R

52

67

55

93

75

38

70

100

65.4

55

0

Winn

68

R

58

68

55

80

60

43

80

100

64.9

100

Last

71

R

55

71

50

88

75

38

55

100

63.5

80

Froerer

8

R

59

65

64

82

65

50

80

90

62.3

60

0

Greenwood

12

R

66

83

75

82

85

38

60

100

62.0

57

Dee

11

R

48

59

60

75

80

25

64

100

61.4

83

Webb

5

R

45

63

60

81

65

38

70

100

60.7

75

0

Kiser

41

R

63

61

73

77

80

43

70

100

60.0

100

0

Ipson*

75

R

63

63

67

82

75

43

64

na

59.8

100

0

Wallis*

10

R

63

63

64

82

65

43

60

na

59.1

100

Dunnigan

39

R

51

68

70

75

62

25

60

89

58.8

86

0

Ferry

2

R

55

71

80

75

60

29

60

88

57.0

50

Mascaro

47

R

44

67

91

81

58

29

70

90

55.7

0

Powell*

54

R

58

58

75

77

75

63

73

na

55.0

33

0

Brown

53

R

44

61

80

77

60

29

60

88

54.7

67

Fisher, Julie

17

R

54

63

82

82

75

50

60

100

54.7

91

Draxler

3

R

44

50

83

77

60

50

80

100

54.2

50

Bigelow

32

R

54

42

75

82

62

14

30

90

52.5

87

Vickers*

72

R

56

56

82

77

80

43

50

na

51.7

67

0

Hunsaker

4

R

46

58

91

65

60

38

50

100

47.9

80

Menlove

1

R

37

59

91

71

60

50

60

90

47.5

73

0

Edwards*

20

R

58

58

77

69

60

75

55

na

47.2

50

Allen

19

R

36

61

82

69

60

63

60

78

46.8

57

0

Bird

42

R

48

63

91

53

75

57

50

90

44.6

80

0

Holdaway

34

R

40

56

92

71

58

38

36

50

43.4

43

McIff

70

R

37

38

90

65

0

50

60

100

42.0

43

0

Average

59.8

69.1

59.6

83.7

68.9

36.3

74.4

95.2

65.0

70.8

0.0

DEMOCRATS

Hendrickson

33

D

37

33

100

50

60

25

20

89

35.9

50

Duckworth

22

D

34

28

100

47

0

29

30

70

32.5

100

100

Gowans

21

D

38

17

100

41

60

38

20

88

31.3

100

Seegmiller*

49

D

56

56

100

47

65

100

30

na

30.3

33

Fisher, Janice

29

D

31

50

100

59

55

88

30

60

29.8

50

Litvack

26

D

17

22

100

59

55

71

40

70

29.7

33

Beck*

48

D

29

53

100

53

65

88

30

na

28.7

0

Poulson*

46

D

50

50

100

47

65

88

18

na

28.2

100

Cosgrove

44

D

21

39

100

53

55

100

40

78

27.0

50

Hemingway

40

D

25

33

100

47

55

88

30

67

25.7

33

Watkins*

69

D

28

28

100

41

60

50

10

na

25.7

40

King*

28

D

28

28

100

53

55

88

30

na

25.5

20

100

Seelig

23

D

25

33

100

44

60

100

30

70

23.8

50

Riesen

36

D

16

17

100

53

60

88

30

60

23.8

0

100

Moss

37

D

16

28

100

47

60

88

27

70

23.6

20

Wiley

31

D

22

33

100

40

60

100

30

67

22.7

0

Wheatley

35

D

22

21

100

41

60

86

9

70

19.7

67

100

Hansen

9

D

27

25

100

38

0

75

10

78

19.5

0

100

Black*

45

D

26

26

100

41

60

100

9

na

17.5

0

Johnson, C

25

D

19

16

100

38

0

100

20

70

15.5

40

100

Biskupski

30

D

21

17

100

35

0

88

10

78

15.5

33

100

Chavez-Houck

24

D

17

11

100

41

0

100

10

60

13.0

25

Average

27.5

30.2

100.0

46.1

45.9

80.8

23.3

71.6

24.8

38.4

100.0

Utah Senate CLI 2009

The Conservative Liberal Index rating for the Utah Senate in 2009.

































































Senator

Dist

GrsRts

GrsRts

UEA

UTA

UFIRE

Sierra

PCE

NFIB

DNews

Eqlty

REPUBLICANS

Life

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

2008

CLI

2009

Dayton

15

R

81

86

25

100

95

38

100

90

84.9

90

Madsen

13

R

74

85

12

100

85

50

91

89

82.3

46

0

Stephenson

11

R

74

77

18

100

0

33

100

90

80.5

50

Waddoups

6

R

59

86

30

100

80

50

100

90

78.2

60

0

Jenkins

20

R

69

68

25

100

80

50

91

89

77.1

85

Buttars

10

R

58

65

12

100

40

33

82

100

76.8

33

0

Bramble

16

R

59

65

20

100

80

40

82

100

76.3

71

Neiderhauser

9

R

59

68

30

100

80

60

100

100

75.3

88

Killpack

21

R

55

70

22

100

40

43

91

100

75.2

100

Valentine

14

R

55

67

17

91

40

43

73

89

70.8

80

Urquhart**

29

R

64

64

44

100

90

67

91

100

70.6

89

Christensen

19

R

55

67

44

100

40

43

82

100

68.9

60

Stowell

28

R

62

68

50

100

70

71

82

90

66.0

92

Liljenquist*

23

R

50

50

44

94

40

43

82

na

64.8

75

Okerlund*

24

R

59

59

60

94

40

63

82

na

60.8

50

Greiner

18

R

58

71

78

94

90

63

64

80

57.7

83

Knudson

17

R

39

62

44

92

40

67

64

90

57.6

75

Bell

22

R

45

50

67

93

40

63

73

100

55.6

91

0

Hillyard

25

R

44

63

56

92

40

71

64

80

55.3

86

VanTassell

26

R

49

52

67

94

40

57

55

100

53.9

60

Hinkins*

27

R

71

71

78

75

90

63

45

na

52.5

80

59.0

67.3

40.1

96.1

59.0

52.9

80.7

88.3

68.6

73.5

0.0

DEMOCRATS

Mayne

5

D

38

55

80

75

80

57

45

70

46.5

63

Jones

4

D

20

43

80

75

0

50

45

63

39.6

83

Goodfellow

12

D

22

42

91

75

60

63

36

100

37.9

50

Davis

3

D

21

33

89

75

70

63

36

67

36.9

29

Robles*

1

D

32

32

80

57

70

75

45

na

36.8

14

McCoy

2

D

19

27

80

63

70

88

45

78

34.4

20

100

Morgan**

8

D

31

41

92

65

70

88

36

80

33.8

0

Romero

7

D

23

27

100

56

0

75

18

80

23.3

20

100

25.8

37.5

86.5

67.6

52.5

69.9

38.3

76.9

36.1

34.9

100.0