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- David Blyth Magleby (born 1949) is a professor of political science at Brigham Young University (BYU) and currently the dean of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences at that institution. He is an expert on direct democracy and campaign finance. Magleby is the author of several books. His first, Direct Legislation, is considered the seminal work on initiatives and referenda. Among other works Magleby has written is Financing the 2000 Election. He has also written several works on issues related to soft money in campaigns. In 1990, he served on a bipartisan Senate task force on campaign finance reform 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 is currently in its 23rd 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 bachelors 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 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'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. 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.
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