Wyoming
| State website: | legisweb.state.wy.us/lsoweb/Redistricting/LegilativeRedistricting.aspx |
| 2010-cycle districts: | State Senate, State House « NEW |
| 2000-cycle districts: | State Senate, State House |
| Primary governing law: | Wyo. Const. art. III, §§ 47-50 |
On March 1, 2012, the state legislature passed HB 32, which was signed on March 6. A lawsuit has been filed to challenge the plan.
- Institution
Redistricting political control:
Governor State Senate State House Congressional lines n/a State legislative lines R 4 D, 26 R 10 D, 50 R (could override veto) 2000 cong. lines n/a 2000 state lines R 10 D, 20 R 14 D, 46 R (could override veto) Wyoming has only one congressional district.
Wyoming's state legislative lines are drawn by the state legislature, as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto. The members of the legislative committee responsible for redistricting are listed here.
- Timing
Census data were delivered to Wyoming on March 3, 2011.
The legislature's constitutional deadline for drawing state legislative lines is the end of the first budget session after the Census; the next regular budget session will begin February 14, 2012, and will meet for approximately 20 days. [Wyo. Const. art. III, §§ 6, 7, 48; Session Archives] Candidates must file for state legislative primary elections by June 1, 2012. [Wyo. Stat. § 22-5-209]
Wyoming ties the drawing of state legislative lines to the Census, and might therefore be construed to prohibit redrawing lines mid-decade. [Wyo. Const. art. III, § 48]
- Public input
The legislative committee responsible for redistricting has announced a public meeting schedule through late summer 2011, and comments can be posted here. Materials and minutes of the committee meetings are posted here.
- Criteria
Like all states, Wyoming must comply with constitutional equal population requirements, and with section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
In 2011, the joint legislative committee responsible for redistricting adopted principles for state legislative districts; these guidelines were subject to change at any time. These guidelines asked that districts be contiguous, be compact, reflect a community of interest, consider significant geographic features, and follow county boundaries, with a majority of the population of each county in one district. The guidelines also noted that "consideration should be given" to nesting two state House districts in each state Senate district. [Joint Corp., Elections and Political Subdivisions Comm., Redistricting Principles - 2011, April 13, 2011]
- 2010-cycle cases
Hunzie v. Maxfield, No. 179-562 (Wyo. Dist. Ct., Laramie County): a challenge in state court to the state's legislative plan, based on alleged violations of the state and federal constitution, including allegedly insufficient attention to county representation.
- Complaint (Apr. 5, 2012).
The latest: The complaint was filed on April 5, 2012. - 2000 cycle
In the 2000 redistricting cycle, Wyoming's legislature passed a state legislative plan on March 1, 2002, which became law without the Governor's signature. It appears that this plan was not challenged in court.
