By Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Arizona’s new Legislature is more White, more male and more Republican than the people who live here, an analysis of the makeup of the 51st Legislature shows.
And while they are from many walks of life, from real-estate agents to a pharmacy technician, retirees to recently returned combat vets, the legislators elected to represent the people do not, as a group, reflect the demographics of the state population, according to data analyzed by The Arizona Republic.
It’s been true for years that Arizona’s population is more racially diverse, more female and less Republican than the Legislature. Arizona overall is also younger than the Legislature’s average age of 49.1 years old, although at 35.9 years, the state’s average age reflects more than a million children and teens who can’t run for the Legislature: A person has to be at least 25 years old to serve.
The demographic mismatch between the Arizona Legislature and the population at large is “well within the norm” of state legislatures nationwide, said Jennifer Steen, an assistant professor of political science at Arizona State University.
It’s hard to make an elected body look like the population it represents, she said. The only time political boundaries might be able to create such an outcome is in highly segregated communities, she said.
