David Blyth Magleby (born October 20, 1949) is an American political scientist and distinguished professor of political science at
Brigham Young University (BYU) and formerly the dean of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences at that institution. He is an expert on
direct democracy
Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate decides on policy initiatives without legislator, elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently establishe ...
and
campaign finance.
Magleby is the author of several books. His first, ''Direct Legislation'', is considered the seminal work on initiatives and referendums. Along with the other works Magleby has written, he is the lead editor of a series on presidential election finance, including ''Financing the 2008 Election''. He has also written several works on issues related to
soft money
The financing of electoral campaigns in the United States happens at the federal, state, and local levels by contributions from individuals, corporations, political action committees, and sometimes the government. Campaign spending has risen ...
in campaigns. In 1990, he served on a bipartisan
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
task force on
campaign finance reform Campaign finance reform may refer to:
* Reform of campaign finance
Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referen ...
and his book on the subject, ''The Money Chase'', was published by the
Brookings Institution. In addition, Magleby authors a best-selling American government textbook, ''Government by the People,'' which, as of late 2012, was in its 25th edition.
Prior to joining the faculty of BYU, Magleby was a professor at the
University of California, Santa Cruz and the
University of Virginia. Magleby received his bachelor's degree from the
University of Utah and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the
University of California, Berkeley.
At BYU, Magleby has served as dean, department chair, and founding director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (CSED). He also established the KBYU/Utah Colleges exit poll. Every election year, the poll mobilizes several hundred college students from Utah college campuses to gather data about Utah voters and elections. BYU students design the survey and sample. On Election Night, Magleby hosts a television program where students present the results of the poll.
Magleby served as president of political science honors society
Pi Sigma Alpha from 1994 to 1996. He was twice awarded the Pi Sigma Alpha Distinguished Faculty Award in Political Science. Other political science organizations he has joined include the
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...
, the
International Political Science Association, the
Midwest Political Science Association
The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) is a professional association of political science scholars and students in the United States. It was founded in 1939, and publishes the ''American Journal of Political Science'' in conjunction with ...
, and the
Western Political Science Association.
Magleby is a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
As such, his comments have been sought on Mormon political issues, such as
gay marriage and
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
's
presidential campaign.
[ He has also contributed articles on politics to the '' Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' and the ''Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History''. Despite the Republican image of his LDS faith and home state of Utah, Magleby is a ]Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
. Magleby is known for a profile he developed of the ideal Mormon Democrat, in what has been called the "Magleby profile."
David Magleby is married to Linda Waters Magleby, and they have four children. He resides in Provo, Utah.
Notes
Sources
listing of Google Books connected to Magleby
bio of Magleby
External links
Magleby's vita
Magleby's profile
at BYU's Center for Study of Elections and Democracy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magleby, David
1949 births
Latter Day Saints from Virginia
Latter Day Saints from California
Latter Day Saints from Utah
American political scientists
Brigham Young University faculty
Living people
People from Provo, Utah
University of California, Berkeley alumni
University of California, Santa Cruz faculty
University of Utah alumni
University of Virginia School of Law faculty
Utah Democrats