Op-ed: How about an elected government that looks like Utah?

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ever wonder why whatever you care about (air quality, better school funding, protecting public lands, affordable health care or having a drink with dinner) seems to be the opposite of what the Utah State Legislature cares about?

One big reason might be that they are probably nothing like you, demographically speaking. Overwhelmingly, our state legislators are hyperconservative, religious, wealthy, old white men.

With the wrap-up of the 2017 Utah legislative session, one has to wonder who are these people who passed these bills (535 pieces in all). The list of misguided legislation is long, but here are some lowlights: a resolution to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument, thus causing the state to lose the twice-yearly Outdoor Retailers Convention and their $45 million contribution to the state's economy (other conventions are likely to look elsewhere too); a phase-out of tax credits for rooftop solar projects (including their clean air and job benefits); suspension of all safety inspections for cars and trucks (who cares about brakes and tires anyway); lowering the DUI alcohol level to .05 percent (about one drink and the lowest in the country, medically unsupported and sure to harm the hospitality industry); elimination of the political diversity requirement on certain state boards and commissions (thus strengthening the super-majority); laws to eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles (more fossil fuels and climate change), passage of a bizarre rule that says burning wood for food preparation can never be banned (grab your marshmallows on a red air day, and you're legal), and a last-minute maneuver to exempt the dirtiest vehicles from emissions testing (diesel cars and trucks). Some of this nonsense is awaiting the governor's signature, but much of it has already been signed into law.

The list of bad legislation goes on, and it begs the question, how can Utah's state legislators be so out of touch with their constituents? Polls, public opinion surveys, town hall gatherings and letter and phone campaigns suggest that our representatives are not representing us much at all and, in fact, are ignoring the will of the people.

Part of the reason is the corrosive influence that deep-pocketed donors and corporations have over politics. This is true nationwide, but in Utah the answer may be as simple as the demographics of the Legislature and our state don't look much alike. Take gender. Utah is exactly split between men and women. In the Legislature, though, it's 85 percent male. Ninety percent of the Legislature is white and only 3 percent Hispanic, which is less than a quarter of the state's Latino population of 13.5 percent.

In age, Utah's adults average 43 years, while the average legislator is 59. Generationally, there are no millennials in the Legislature, while in the state 39 percent of the population was born since the 1980s. Sixty-six percent of the Legislature is a baby boomer (1946-1964), but only 24 percent of the state's residents.

More than half of all legislators are attorneys or business owners/professionals. None is retired. In the Utah House, 84 percent are Republican, and in the Senate it's 83 percent, both super-majorities. For the state, though, only 46 percent of voters are registered Republican. Religion and income are considerably different for the state and its Legislature as well. A recent analysis by The Salt Lake Tribune put the Utah House and Senate at 88 percent LDS (a number that has held steady for 25 years) while the state stands at 63 percent and falling. You can be sure there are no poor people serving in the Legislature.

Of course, we're to blame for the Legislature we have because we elected them into office. Once they're in, we have to make sure they represent us, and the only way to do that is to hold them accountable.

Be sure to let the six folks we send to Washington D.C. know how you're feeling as well. They don't seem to represent most of us, either.

Are you really dissatisfied with your elected officials? There is a simple way to fix it: Vote for candidates that reflect your views and values. And if you don't see any candidates that you can support, run for office yourself. After all, it's "by the people and for the people," so let's get busy shaping a government that represents the people of Utah.

Eric C. Ewert, Ph.D., is a professor of geography at Weber State University.