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Merrill Nelson

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Merrill Nelson
Prior offices:
Utah House of Representatives District 68
Years in office: 2013 - 2023
Successor:Scott H. Chew (R)
Utah House of Representatives
Years in office: 1991 - 1993
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 3, 2020
Education
Bachelor's
Brigham Young University, 1979
Law
Brigham Young University, 1982
Personal
Religion
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Merrill Nelson (Republican Party) was a member of theUtah House of Representatives, representingDistrict 68. He assumed office on January 1, 2013. He left office on January 1, 2023.

Nelson (Republican Party) ran for re-election to theUtah House of Representatives to representDistrict 68. He won in the general election onNovember 3, 2020.

Nelson previously served in the Utah House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993.

Biography

Emaileditor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Nelson earned both his B.S. and his J.D. from Brigham Young University. His professional experience includes working as a lawyer.

Committee assignments

2021-2022

Nelson was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Nelson was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Utah committee assignments, 2017
•Government Operations
•Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology, Vice chair

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Nelson served on the following committees:

Utah committee assignments, 2015
•Government Operations
•Judiciary, Vice-Chair

2013-2014

In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Nelson served on the following committees:

Utah committee assignments, 2013
•Economic Development and Workforce Services
•Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment
•Retirement and Independent Entities, Vice chair

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2020

See also: Utah House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 68

IncumbentMerrill Nelson defeatedAmiee Finster andKirk Pearson in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 68 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Merrill Nelson
Merrill Nelson (R)
 
75.3
 
16,036
Amiee Finster (D)
 
15.7
 
3,334
Image of Kirk Pearson
Kirk Pearson (Constitution Party)
 
9.0
 
1,920

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 21,290
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 68

Amiee Finster advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah House of Representatives District 68 on April 25, 2020.

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 68

IncumbentMerrill Nelson advanced from the Republican convention for Utah House of Representatives District 68 on April 25, 2020.

Candidate
✔
Image of Merrill Nelson
Merrill Nelson (R)

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2018

See also:Utah House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 68

IncumbentMerrill Nelson defeatedMerle Wall,Kirk Pearson,Denyse Housley Cox, andWarren Rogers in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 68 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Merrill Nelson
Merrill Nelson (R)
 
71.4
 
10,509
Image of Merle Wall
Merle Wall (D)
 
16.1
 
2,367
Image of Kirk Pearson
Kirk Pearson (Constitution Party)
 
6.5
 
960
Denyse Housley Cox (L)
 
4.0
 
596
Warren Rogers (Independent American Party)
 
2.0
 
292

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 14,724
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

2016

See also:Utah House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theUtah House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 17, 2016.

IncumbentMerrill Nelson defeatedCindee Beard andKirk Pearson in the Utah House of Representatives District 68 general election.[1]

Utah House of Representatives, District 68 General Election, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngMerrill NelsonIncumbent70.81%10,714
    DemocraticCindee Beard18.63%2,819
    ConstitutionKirk Pearson10.56%1,597
Total Votes15,130
Source:Utah Secretary of State


Cindee Beard ran unopposed in the Utah House of Representatives District 68 Democratic primary.[2][3]

Utah House of Representatives District 68, Democratic Primary, 2016
PartyCandidate
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngCindee Beard (unopposed)

IncumbentMerrill Nelson ran unopposed in the Utah House of Representatives District 68 Republican primary.[2][3]

Utah House of Representatives District 68, Republican Primary, 2016
PartyCandidate
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngMerrill NelsonIncumbent (unopposed)


2014

See also:Utah House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for theUtah House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 20, 2014. IncumbentMerrill Nelson was unopposed in the Republican convention.Rett Rowley, an Independent American candidate, was disqualified from the general election ballot. Nelson was unopposed in the general election.Cindy Vincent (R) withdrew before the primary.[4]

2012

See also:Utah House of Representatives elections, 2012

Nelson won election in the2012 election forUtah House of Representatives District 68. He advanced past the Republican convention, defeated incumbentBill Wright in the June 26 Republican primary, and defeatedThomas Nedreberg (D) andPaul McCollaum, Jr. (Constitution) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[5][6][7]

Utah House of Representatives, District 68, General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngMerrill Nelson73.8%9,831
    Democratic Thomas Nedreberg19%2,531
    Constitution Paul McCollaum, Jr.7.2%953
Total Votes13,315
Utah House of Representatives District 68 Republican Primary, 2012
CandidateVote %Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMerrill Nelson52.3%1,910
Bill WrightIncumbent47.7%1,744
Total Votes3,654

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Merrill Nelson did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

Nelson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[8]

  • Education
Excerpt: "I want to be not only the "education candidate," but a strong voice for education in the Utah Legislature. Legislators should not be adversaries of educators. Neither should the Legislature act as a "super-school board" and dictate the education decisions of parents and local elected boards, teachers, and administrators."
  • Economic Development
Excerpt: "I favor free markets. Economic freedom goes hand-in-hand with political freedom. I will work to eliminate government regulations that inhibit free enterprise and economic growth. This includes federal regulations that shut down coal-fired electric plants, close public lands to mining and energy development, and place predators on grazing lands with livestock."
  • Healthcare
Excerpt: "Federal payments for healthcare merely drive up the cost of health care, just as federal loan guaranties inflated the housing market and the cost of higher education. Socialized medicine is breaking the federal budget and will break state budgets as well unless we push back."
  • Illegal Immigration
Excerpt: "My heart goes out to families in other countries racked by poverty, crime, and violence. I too would seek a better life in another country. However, immigration must be legal and ordered, and defiance of our laws cannot be ignored. We must stop illegal immigration and enforce the sanctity of our borders and our laws."
  • Second Amendment
Excerpt: "I fully support our constitutional right to bear arms."

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Merrill Nelson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2020Utah House of Representatives District 68Won general$8,821 N/A**
2018Utah House of Representatives District 68Won general$21,754 N/A**
2016Utah House of Representatives, District 68Won$22,868 N/A**
2014Utah House of Representatives, District 68Won$22,543 N/A**
2012Utah State House, District 68Won$23,001 N/A**
1998Utah State Senate, District 13Lost$13,427 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Utah

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Utah scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.




2022

In 2022, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 18 to March 4.

Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy.
Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to arts and the humanities.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.


2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].   

In 2021, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 19 to March 5.

Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the organization chose to evaluate.
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.


2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].   

In 2020, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 27 to March 12.

Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.


2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].   

In 2019, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 28 through March 14.

Legislators are scored based on their votes on economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the Alliance for a Better Utah supported.
Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].   

In 2018, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 22 through March 8.

Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].   

In 2017, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 23 through March 9. There was also a special session on September 20.

Legislators are scored based on their votes on economic issues.
Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].   

In 2016, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 25 through March 10.

Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."[9]
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
  • Utah Legislative Ratings: 2016 Conservative Liberal Index -Senate andHouse
Legislators are scored in the Conservative Liberal Index "to determine who is "truly" Conservative or "really" Liberal."[10]
Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].   

In 2015, theUtah State Legislature was in session from January 26 through March 12.

Legislators are scored based on the organization's mission of "promoting the principles of limited government, constitution, representative government, participatory republic, free market economy, family, and separation of powers."[11]
Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills picked by the Sutherland Institute that promote conservative policy.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to charter schools.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
  • Utah Legislative Ratings: 2015 Conservative Liberal Index -Senate andHouse
Legislators are scored in the Conservative Liberal Index "to determine who is "truly" Conservative or "really" Liberal."[10]
Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on tax related legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].   

In 2014, the 60thUtah State Legislature, second year, was in session from January 27 to March 14.

Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills picked by the Sutherland Institute that promote conservative policy.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to Common Core.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored in the Conservative Liberal Index "to determine who is "truly" Conservative or "really" Liberal."
Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on taxpayer related bills.


2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].   

In 2013, the 60thUtah State Legislature, first year, was in session from January 28 to March 14.

Legislators are scored based on their votes in relation to the organization's "mission to defend individual liberty, private property and free enterprise."
Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
Legislators are scored based on the issue of education.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills picked by the Sutherland Institute that promote conservative policy.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to education.
Legislators are scored based on their votes relating to environmental and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on taxpayer related bills.


The Libertas Institute Index

See also:Libertas Institute Legislative Index (2013)

The Libertas Institute is a libertarian-leaning think tank located in Utah.[12] Each year the organization releases a Legislative Index for Utah State Representatives and Senators.

2013

Merrill Nelson received an index rating of 48%.

See also


External links

Candidate

Utah House of Representatives District 68

  • Website
  • Facebook

    • Personal

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑Utah Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed November 29, 2016
    2. ↑2.02.1Utah.gov, "2016 Candidate Filings," accessed March 23, 2016
    3. ↑3.03.1Utah.gov, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed August 20, 2016
    4. ↑Utah Lieutenant Governor, "2014 Candidate Filings," accessed March 22, 2014
    5. ↑Lieutenant Governor's Office, "Utah 2012 candidate filings," accessed March 29, 2014
    6. ↑C-SPAN, "AP Elections Results Utah - Summary Vote Results," accessed June 27, 2012
    7. ↑Utah.Gov, "2012 Primary Election Results," accessed July 24, 2012(dead link)
    8. ↑MerrillNelscon.com, "Campaign website, Issues," accessed April 1, 2014
    9. ↑GrassRoots, "2015 Legislative Report," accessed May 30, 2017
    10. ↑10.010.1Utah Legislative Ratings, "UTAH HOUSE Scorecard - Compiled 2015 Conservative Liberal Index," May 19, 2015
    11. ↑GrassRoots, "2015 Legislative Report," accessed May 30, 2017
    12. ↑Libertas Institute, "Legislator Indexes," accessed January 21, 2014

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    -    		Utah House of Representatives District 68
    2013-2023    		Succeeded by
    Scott H. Chew (R)
    Preceded by
    -    		Utah House of Representatives
    1991-1993    		Succeeded by
    -


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