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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah is one of the most conservative states in the country, and Republicans have long controlled the state Legislature. But an Associated Press analysis shows the state's legislative districts were drawn in a way that may have given the GOP extra help.
The Associated Press reviewed about 4,700 state House and Assembly seats up for election in 2016 using a new statistical method of calculating partisan advantage.
The review found most state chambers skewed Republican, including Utah, where the GOP gained about three legislative seats last year in excess of what's expected in a typical ratio of votes to seats.
Even if that advantage was neutralized and Democrats were given three more seats, Republicans would still control the state House by a supermajority well above a key two-thirds threshold.
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