David Blyth Magleby (born October 20, 1949) is an American political scientist and distinguished professor of political science at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
(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 electorate decides on policy initiatives without elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently established democracies, which are repres ...
and
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 referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political a ...
.
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 rise ...
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 and his book on the subject, ''The Money Chase'', was published by the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
. 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
The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the ed ...
and the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
. Magleby received his bachelor's degree from the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
.
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 Orle ...
, 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 wit ...
, and the
Western Political Science Association.
Magleby is a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church).
As such, his comments have been sought on Mormon political issues, such as
gay marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constitutin ...
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 ...
's
presidential campaign
President most commonly refers to:
* President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
.
[ 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. 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