Legislators / Cheryl K. Acton
“Typical” is the median of all 74 House members in the 2026 General Session.
In short
In the 2026 General Session, Rep. Cheryl K. Acton wrote 5 bills (2 passed) and spoke on the record 139 times. They missed 9 of 827 floor votes (1%) and voted against most of their own party 35 times (4%). Based only on their votes, they are the 39th most conservative of 71 House members.
Where they land
39th most conservative of 71 House members · 39th most conservative of 57 Republicans
Hover or tap a dot to see who it is.
- Democrat
- Republican
- Rep. Cheryl K. Acton
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. Cheryl K. Acton measured against the Utah Republican Party platform (we found no campaign promises of their own).
11 of their 12 final floor votes on these bills went the platform's way · typical House member: 100%
Typical House Republican: 100%.
5 sided with it · 1 mixed · 2 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 childrenSided with it
What they said: nothing found Bills: nothing found Votes: matchesVoted with this plank 1 of 1 times. 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
- H.B. 123 Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registration Amendments · Became law
- H.B. 134 Offender Transfer Amendments · Became law
- H.B. 434 Child Welfare Fatality Review Report Amendments · Did not pass
- H.B. 446 Conflict of Interest Disclosure Amendments · Did not pass
- H.B. 528 Local School Board Reporting · Did not pass
What they've said lately
All 139 →H.B. 123 Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Explains that the bill clarifies that an offender transferring to Utah from out of state must be registered on the sex offender registry, and that a technical timestamp issue required a third substitute.
▶ Watch at 9:25Read what they said
Yes. This is the bill that clarifies that an offender transferring to Utah from out of state must be registered on our sex offender registry. And, um, what happened? It was a, a anyway, we had, we adopted the third substitute, which was identical to the bill that we passed here, which was the first substitute. But due to a very technical timestamp issue within the system, we had to do a third sub. And so it is back to where it was when we passed it through the house.
S.B. 252 Water Usage at State-owned Facilities Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Asks the floor sponsor to yield for questions.
▶ Watch at 29:56Read what they said
Thank you. I will the sponsor yield to a question. Representative Koford, will you yield to a question?
S.B. 252 Water Usage at State-owned Facilities Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Asks whether the bill would require retrofitting existing landscaping and whether it applies only near the Great Salt Lake or statewide.
▶ Watch at 30:05Read what they said
I'm just wondering will they have to go retroactively re landscape anything? And it is it the other question, I guess two questions. Um, the other question is, isn't isn't it only in the, um, the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake or is it statewide?
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
9 of 827 (1%)
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. Cheryl K. Acton 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. Cheryl K. Acton
- Email: cacton@le.utah.gov
- Phone: 801-809-3571
- Office: 350 N State Street, Ste. 350, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114
Constituents get priority, so say you live in their district. Writing about a specific bill? Open it and use Take action for a ready-to-send message.
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.
Cheryl K. Acton serves on:
- Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee
- House Health and Human Services Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- Health and Human Services Interim Committee
- Judiciary Interim Committee
- Retirement and Independent Entities Interim Committee
- Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel
About
- In office since
- Appointed September 9, 2017
- Counties
- Salt Lake
- Profession
- Writer/ Homemaker
- Affiliations
- Jordan River Commission; DDI Vantage (Board)
- Education
- B.A., English, BYU
- Honors and awards
- None listed in their official profile.
- cacton@le.utah.gov
Money and conflicts of interest
- Campaign finance reports (who donated to their campaign, from the Lt. Governor's disclosure site)
- Conflict-of-interest disclosures (jobs, businesses, and boards they must report each year): latest, earlier 1, earlier 2, earlier 3
Coming next: their top donors and disclosed interests shown next to the related votes.
Official biography
Representative Cheryl Acton was born and raised in Kansas before moving to Arizona for her senior year of high school. She lived in northern Denmark for a year as a Rotary Youth Ambassador, then arrived in Utah to begin her freshman year at BYU. Awed by Utah's scenic beauty and its wonderful people, she takes enormous pride in her adopted home state. After graduating from BYU with a B.A. in English, Cheryl worked as a law librarian while her husband finished graduate school. She has also worked for the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Defense, where she earned the Meritorious Service Award. She has been a freelance writer and editor, an independent contractor, an internet researcher, a newspaper reporter, and a classroom volunteer, but in her heart, she has always been a teacher. Cheryl and her husband, Scott, have occupied the same home in West Jordan for 28 years. Over an 11-year span touching three decades and two millennia (1989-2000), they had two sons and two daughters. As a family, they accomplished the goal of traveling together to all 50 states. Representative Acton has many hobbies and interests, including writing, traveling, current events, history, quote collecting, and photography. She is endlessly fascinated by people, nature, and animals. Cheryl was motivated to run for office by a desire to restore and preserve freedom, which, in her view, has been eroding over her lifetime. Cheryl believes in the worth and dignity of individuals and families and their right and ability to govern their own affairs. She also believes that, for the good of the Republic, civility, wit, and wisdom must return to politics. Representative Acton believes that while other elected titles (senator, governor, etc.) have lost their original meaning, "Representative" is unambiguous. It describes perfectly her role as a voice for the people of District 38.
Profile details come from the Utah Legislature's official legislator data.