Legislators / Ariel Defay
“Typical” is the median of all 74 House members in the 2026 General Session.
In short
In the 2026 General Session, Rep. Ariel Defay wrote 8 bills (8 passed), asked the budget committees to fund 3 requests (2 funded, $2.3 million in all), and spoke on the record 201 times. They missed 63 of 827 floor votes (8%) and voted against most of their own party 21 times (3%). Based only on their votes, they are the 47th most conservative of 71 House members.
Where they land
47th most conservative of 71 House members · 47th most conservative of 57 Republicans
Hover or tap a dot to see who it is.
- Democrat
- Republican
- Rep. Ariel Defay
How we placed them
Placed only by their own votes: we took the 222 contested House floor votes of the 2026 session (where at least 10% voted on the losing side) and found the main line that divides how members vote, the same idea political scientists use to score Congress. No bill is labeled liberal or conservative by us; the conservative end is simply the side where most Republicans fall. More on how this works
See every House member in order
- Mark A. Strong (R-47)
- Michael J. Petersen (R-2)
- Tiara Auxier (R-4)
- Nicholeen P. Peck (R-28)
- Stephanie Gricius (R-50)
- Jason B. Kyle (R-8)
- Rex P. Shipp (R-71)
- Mike L. Kohler (R-59)
- Kristen Chevrier (R-54)
- Ken Ivory (R-39)
- Karianne Lisonbee (R-14)
- Kay J. Christofferson (R-53)
- A. Cory Maloy (R-52)
- Katy Hall (R-11)
- Candice B. Pierucci (R-49)
- Jake Sawyer (R-9)
- Jill Koford (R-10)
- Ryan D. Wilcox (R-7)
- Casey Snider (R-5)
- Troy Shelley (R-66)
- Scott H. Chew (R-68)
- Bridger Bolinder (R-29)
- Mike Schultz (R-12)
- Val L. Peterson (R-56)
- Carl R. Albrecht (R-70)
- Logan Monson (R-69)
- Matt MacPherson (R-26)
- Doug Fiefia (R-48)
- Walt Brooks (R-75)
- Thomas W. Peterson (R-1)
- Colin W. Jack (R-73)
- Joseph Elison (R-72)
- Stewart E. Barlow (R-17)
- Jason E. Thompson (R-3)
- Stephen L. Whyte (R-63)
- Lisa Shepherd (R-61)
- Nelson T. Abbott (R-57)
- Jordan D. Teuscher (R-44)
- Cheryl K. Acton (R-38)
- Jon Hawkins (R-55)
- R. Neil Walter (R-74)
- Norman K Thurston (R-62)
- Calvin Roberts (R-46)
- David Shallenberger (R-58)
- Karen M. Peterson (R-13)
- Melissa G. Ballard (R-20)
- Ariel Defay (R-15)
- Doug Welton (R-65)
- Christine F. Watkins (R-67)
- Steve Eliason (R-43)
- Paul A. Cutler (R-18)
- Raymond P. Ward (R-19)
- Tracy Miller (R-45)
- Anthony E. Loubet (R-27)
- Leah Hansen (R-51)
- James A. Dunnigan (R-36)
- Clinton Okerlund (R-42)
- Ashlee Matthews (D-37)
- Andrew Stoddard (D-40)
- Verona Mauga (D-31)
- Carol S. Moss (D-34)
- Grant Amjad Miller (D-24)
- Jake Fitisemanu (D-30)
- John Arthur (D-41)
- Doug Owens (D-33)
- Jennifer Dailey-Provost (D-22)
- Angela Romero (D-25)
- Rosalba Dominguez (D-35)
- Sahara Hayes (D-32)
- Hoang Nguyen (D-23)
- Sandra Hollins (D-21)
Most conservative first.
Do they follow their party's stated positions?
Rep. Ariel Defay measured against the Utah Republican Party platform (we found no campaign promises of their own).
10 of their 11 final floor votes on these bills went the platform's way · typical House member: 100%
Typical House Republican: 100%.
4 sided with it · 1 mixed · 3 no record on it (of 8 positions)
Right to lifeWe strongly support adoption and oppose abortion, except to preserve the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest.No record on it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: nothing foundNone of these bills reached a House floor vote. Bills checked: H.B. 232.
Right to workWe support the Utah Right to Work Law.No record on it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: nothing foundNone of these bills reached a House floor vote. Bills checked: S.B. 178.
Immigration enforcementWe believe that current laws against employing illegal immigrants should be vigorously enforcedMixed
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: matchesVoted with this plank 1 of 2 times. Bills checked: H.B. 294, H.B. 386, H.B. 287.
Parental rightsWe affirm that parents have the fundamental right and primary responsibility to direct the upbringing of their childrenNo record on it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: nothing foundThey didn't vote on these bills on the House floor. Bills checked: H.B. 259.
Lower taxesHowever, we recognize that the power to tax is also the power to control…Sided with it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: matchesVoted with this plank 2 of 2 times. Bills checked: S.B. 60, H.B. 235.
Right to bear armsWe support the individual constitutionally-protected right of the people to keep and bear arms…Sided with it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: matchesVoted with this plank 3 of 3 times. Bills checked: H.B. 84, H.B. 214, H.B. 101.
Religious freedomWe claim freedom of religion for every citizen and expect the protection of government…Sided with it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: matchesVoted with this plank 3 of 3 times. Bills checked: S.B. 174, H.B. 204, S.B. 268.
Work requirements for welfareWe support requiring welfare recipients to work towards self-sufficiency.Sided with it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: matchesVoted with this plank 1 of 1 times. Bills checked: H.B. 471.
Tap any row to see what we checked. · How we score
Bills they wrote
All 8 →- H.B. 126 Micro-Education Entity Facility Amendments · Became law
- H.B. 128 Traffic Amendments · Became law
- H.B. 273 Classroom Technology Amendments · Became law
- H.B. 276 Artificial Intelligence Modifications · Became law
- H.B. 289 Child Sexual Abuse Material Amendments · Became law
What they've said lately
All 201 →S.B. 287 Targeted Advertising Tax · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Rises in support, saying Utah is a national leader in protecting children from social media and that the bill is limited to large technology companies.
▶ Watch at 2:03:31Read what they said
Thank you, Madam Speaker Pro tem. I rise in support of this legislation. As many of you know, colleagues, we are leading the way and we are setting an example to the rest of the nation in this space in protecting our children from social media. In fact, we are named as one of the top national leaders from the, um, childhood index. And so I would plead with you to think about what we can do. Other states are looking to us. They're watching what we're doing, and they're adopting the same policies that we are putting forward. And when we work together to put pressure and push back on these big tech companies, that's when change happens. And …
S.B. 287 Targeted Advertising Tax · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Supports the bill, saying Utah is a national leader in protecting children from social media and that the tax is aimed at large tech companies rather than local businesses.
▶ Watch at 2:03:33Read what they said
I rise in support of this legislation. As many of you know, colleagues, we are leading the way and we are setting an example to the rest of the nation in this space in protecting our children from social media. In fact, we are named as one of the top national leaders from the, um, childhood index. And so I would plead with you to think about what we can do. Other states are looking to us. They're watching what we're doing, and they're adopting the same policies that we are putting forward. And when we work together to put pressure and push back on these big tech companies, that's when change happens. And I will also add that this …
S.B. 290 Victim and Witness Privacy Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Defay says the bill sets a right to privacy for victims, limits prosecutors' turnover to data that is relevant and necessary, and requires other data to be held in a controlled manner.
▶ Watch at 2:32:38Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I want you to think about everything that you have on your cell phones, um, photos, places you've been banking information and imagine having to turn that over to law enforcement and have everything revealed. Um, that is the cost of reporting a crime for some victims. Um, and because of the significant amounts of private data and sensitive data that are being collected and turned over to defense attorney, defense attorneys and defendants were subjecting victims to re-victimization through the criminal justice system. Um, in 2018, U of U student, Lauren McCluskey turned over her data and nude photos of her were copied and shared by officers showing how this can be abused. So …
Town halls, questionnaires, and attendance
Candidate questionnaires
None on file yet.
Town halls
None confirmed yet. Most town halls are announced on Facebook, which we can't search, so this list is incomplete. Held or went to one? Send the link to ontherecordutah@gmail.com and we'll add it.
Floor votes missed
63 of 827 (8%)
Typical member: 7% of floor votes
We list only town halls and questionnaires we can confirm from a public source, so a short list doesn't mean Rep. Ariel Defay hasn't met with voters. A missed vote can have a good reason, such as illness or a family emergency.
Hear from them directly
Contact Rep. Ariel Defay
- Email: adefay@le.utah.gov
- Phone: 801-793-8944
- Office: 350 N State Street, Ste 350, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114
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Watch or join a meeting
Every committee hearing and floor session is open to the public and streamed live on le.utah.gov. Each committee's agenda has the link to watch or join online, and how to sign up for public comment.
Ariel Defay serves on:
- Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee
- House Education Committee
- House Transportation Committee
- Education Interim Committee
- Transportation Interim Committee
About
- In office since
- November 15, 2023
- Counties
- Davis
- Profession
- Small business owner
- Affiliations
- Senior Legislative Aide to the Republican majority, Ohio House of Representatives
- Education
- B.A., Political Science, Utah State University; M.P.A. Public Administration, Ohio University
- Honors and awards
- Small Business Owner, Vice President of Business Development
- adefay@le.utah.gov
Money and conflicts of interest
- Campaign finance reports (who donated to their campaign, from the Lt. Governor's disclosure site)
- No conflict-of-interest disclosure is linked in their official profile.
Coming next: their top donors and disclosed interests shown next to the related votes.
Official biography
Ariel Defay has been a member of the Utah House of Representatives since 2023. Since then, she has represented Utah House's 15th District, which covers Davis County. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Utah State University and a Master's in Public Administration from Ohio University. Ariel's career includes significant experience in state government, having worked as a senior legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives and on various political campaigns. Her work has focused on retirement policy, fiscal responsibility, and conservative values.<br><br> On a personal note, Ariel Defay is deeply connected to Davis County, with three generations of her family having lived in the area. She and her husband are small business owners, and they share a strong commitment to their community. Ariel enjoys spending time with her family, including her children, and engaging in activities that support her local community.
Profile details come from the Utah Legislature's official legislator data.