Dear Neighbors,
One of the questions I’m often asked by constituents and in particular school children, is how I decide which bills to vote for and which bills to vote against. It can be a somewhat complicated question to answer. Nearly 1,000 bills are filed for consideration each session. Obviously this number represents a lot of issues covering a wide variety of topics that affect many people.
The ancient Greeks had a system of democracy where every male citizen had the opportunity to cast votes for himself in the assembly. Our system is a set up to be a representative republic where we select one person to speak and vote on behalf of a set number of people. This system has its challenges. Whereas an ancient Greek male citizen had only his own views to consider when voting, your legislators must weigh the views of tens of thousands when casting ballots.
Voting in the Legislature
Due to the large number of bills and the complexity of some issues, legislators employ a wide range of strategies when deciding how to vote. One that my colleagues and I use is to send out a survey to constituents asking questions about the hot issues expected to come before the Legislature. We forecast what we think will be the most pressing issues. For instance in our survey this year, I asked for feedback on budget items, liquor licenses, and immigration reform just to name a few items. Obviously I received a wide variety of responses, but the surveys show how the majority of our constituents feel on a particular issue and can guide my vote on specific bills.
Another tool we use when deciding how to vote is our campaign platform and issues that might have been debated during the campaign. While campaigning, we talk about our views and the issues we will and will not support if elected. A winning candidate can reasonably assume that he or she won because the majority of the voters agreed with his or her views on public policy and that platform can then serve as a measuring stick on how to vote.
Communicating with your Legislator
During the session, I do my best to communicate with you and let you know what issues are coming up that will affect our communities. I get a lot of emails and phone calls from people that want us to vote for or against a certain issue and those contacts, particularly from our own constituents, are very persuasive. Sometimes, however, an issue will come up where the constituency is evenly divided or the issue hits so quickly that there isn’t time for feedback. Sometimes the facts change with an amendment to a bill or issues come up that make it reasonable to vote differently than we might otherwise have done. In those cases, legislators have to rely on their instincts for what is the best policy call.
I take very seriously the charge to represent you and reflect the values and beliefs of our community. Don’t be afraid to reach out and let me know how you feel about the issues of the day. I can’t represent you well if I don’t know your views.
Legacy North
Thank you to all those residents who have expressed their concerns with the proposed West Davis Corridor. I have me with numerous groups and we have also met a number of times with UDOT and local leaders. I’m pleased to report that the comment period has been extended to March 25th. Please e-mail them your thoughts at westdavis@utah.gov. UDOT has also revised their maps in some areas based on our collective feedback.
I authored an article for the Davis County Clipper this week regarding education.
Though things move quickly on the Hill, I welcome any questions or comments from you, especially during the legislative session. I can be reached by email at bradwilson@utah.gov or by phone at the Capitol (801) 538-1029. The Legislative Home Page, www.le.utah.gov, features links to proposed bills, live audio and visual feeds of legislative debate and committee meetings and contact information for all members of the Legislature. Check it out during the session to see what I’m up to at the Capitol. Stay tuned for more updates as the Legislature moves into Week Six.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your representative.
Sincerely,
Brad Wilson
Representative Brad Wilson
