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Background
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How to Locate Your Legislator |
The 1992 legislative reapportionment resulted in
a nested system of legislative districts. Wyoming was divided into 30 Senate
districts, approximately equal in population as of the 1990 census. Each Senate
district was then split into two House of Representatives districts, for a
total of 90 legislators. This structure was retained in the 2002 legislative
redistricting, which adjusted a few district boundaries to reflect changes
in population revealed by the 2000 census.
Throughout The Wyoming LAP* Book, each
group of one Senate district and its two House districts has been kept together,
so that when you locate your Senator, one of the two Representatives who follow
is also yours. In the legislative profiles showing campaign contributions and
in the vote tables following each bill description, legislators are grouped by
geographic area. The map link on the left side of this page shows the geographic
units used.
If in doubt about which Senate and House districts
you live in, your county clerk can show you all the maps and district information
and can tell you which districts are yours.
For each legislator, his or her legislative district, name, home address, political party, occupation, 2004 or 2007 election results (because senators serve a four-year term, half the Senate members will have 2004 information), and committee assignments are listed at the top of each profile. Within each geographic grouping, the profile for each Senator is followed by the profiles for the two Representatives nested in the senatorial district.
The campaign contribution data were compiled from the candidates' Statements of Receipts and Expenditures required by state law and filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State's office. A total of contributions received by a legislator and his/her committee (if any) is provided by category for the primary and general elections combined. The total amount spent is listed, as is any remaining balance. Contributions from Political Action Committees (PACs) are listed alphabetically, followed by the name of the candidate's largest individual contributor.
These figures are as reported by the candidates except where adjustments have been made to correct math errors or to categorize contributions. Although expenditures are also itemized in the candidates' reports, The Wyoming LAP* Book does not include these data because the important issue from a constituent's point of view is the potential for influence from contributors of funds, not how the funds are spent.
Successful candidates frequently use any leftover campaign funds to offset the miscellaneous expenses of holding office (postage, copies, etc.) for which they are not reimbursed. Some choose to give the money to other candidates, to their political party, or to charity. Candidates may legally convert any unspent funds to their personal use as long as they declare the funds as income; to date, all legislative attempts to designate the disposition of unspent funds have failed.
Equality State Policy Center
340 West B Street Suite 203
Casper WY 82601
307-472-5939
dneal@equalitystate.org
www.equalitystate.org