Ariel Defay
State representative, House District 15 · Republican
Office held
| State representative | House District 15 | Source |
On the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot
Ariel Defay is a candidate for Utah House, District 15. The ballot lists Ariel Defay, Republican. The district covers all or part of Davis County.
Everyone on the ballot for this seat
| Candidate | Party |
|---|---|
| Ariel Defay | Republican |
| Anne Berbert | Democratic |
Voting record
Utah House, 2026 sessions
The official record lists Ariel Defay's vote on 838 roll calls in the 2026 sessions. The latest:
- Voted: Yea6th Sub. HB 492: Transportation, Infrastructure, and Housing Amendments
- Voted: Yea1st Sub. SB 156: Constable Amendments
- Voted: Yea1st Sub. SB 47: Reauthorization of Administrative Rules
- Voted: Yea3rd Sub. HB 125: Department of Natural Resources Related Modifications Amendments
- Voted: Yea3rd Sub. HB 377: Real Estate Amendments
- Voted: Yea5th Sub. HB 119: Automotive Repair Business Amendments
- Voted: Yea3rd Sub. SB 181: School Discipline Amendments
- Voted: Yea3rd Sub. HB 591: Nuisance Amendments
- Voted: Yea4th Sub. HB 535: Disposition of Public Property Modifications
- Voted: Yea2nd Sub. SB 165: Economic Mobility Initiative
Career and education
Ariel Defay earned a political-science degree at Utah State University and a Master of Public Administration at Ohio University. Her House biography describes work as a senior legislative aide in the Ohio House and on political campaigns before her Utah legislative career. She and her husband are small-business owners, giving her experience in both legislative staffing and private enterprise. [1]
Public service and district
Defay began Utah House service on November 15, 2023, according to the official roster, and represents District 15 in Davis County. Her biography describes family connections spanning several generations in the county. It identifies retirement policy and fiscal responsibility among her interests, while the current member record supplies the service date and assignments used to describe her present office. [1]
Documented legislative work
Her 2026 sponsorship record documents activity in education, technology and workplace policy. The Legislature lists HB393, Early Intervention for Dyslexia Amendments, and HB329, State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments, as signed by the governor. It also records signed measures addressing artificial intelligence and classroom technology. These are separate legislative subjects and actions; the sponsor table documents their status without establishing their eventual effects on classrooms, workers or public spending. [2]
In the 2026 General Session, Ariel Defay was chief sponsor of H.B. 126, Micro-Education Entity Facility Amendments. It makes clear that microschools and other micro-education entities are subject to local land-use rules, addresses how a capacity cap affects them, and lengthens the list of regulations a city or county may apply. The governor signed it on March 13, 2026. [3]
In the 2026 General Session, Ariel Defay was chief sponsor of H.B. 128, Traffic Amendments. It removes the requirement to signal a turn when driving through a roundabout. The governor signed it on March 25, 2026. [4]
Committee and budget responsibilities
Defay serves on House Education and House Transportation, with matching interim assignments in both subjects. Her budget work is on Higher Education Appropriations. Those responsibilities combine school policy and transportation questions with review of university and college funding, extending beyond the retirement-policy work described in her biography. Her public-administration education and earlier legislative-staff experience provide context for this mix of state-policy responsibilities. [1]
Profile sources
From the Legislature's roster
- Profession
- Small business owner
- Education
- B.A., Political Science, Utah State University; M.P.A. Public Administration, Ohio University
- Committees
In the news
No Utah Ledger stories name Ariel Defay yet.