Do your local legislators make the grade?
The Legislature's tax giveaway won't help Wyoming coal workers—but it will put money in CEOs' pockets.

Wyo. Legislature finally (sort of) admits that the coal industry is dying

Unfortunately, state lawmakers’ responses to the industry’s decline won’t save jobs or help coal communities. They will, however, lead to less funding for public schools and higher energy costs for Wyoming residents.
Actual image of Wyoming lawmakers redrawing the state's election map

Save the politicians, screw the people: “Redistricting” showed the bald self interest that drives the Wyoming Legislature

Members of the public made clear their wishes for better representation during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2022 “redistricting” process. But in the end, the chaotic ordeal confirmed that most lawmakers’ number one priority is protecting their own political interests.
Voters showed up from across the state in person and on Zoom to testify against SF-97.

Outcry confronts bill to restrict Wyoming voting, prompting committee to kill it

More than a dozen Wyoming voters showed up to ask the Wyoming House Appropriations Committee on Monday to defeat Senate File 97, which would limit who can vote in primary elections. They argued the proposal would make voting more difficult and force residents to vote blind. After more than an hour of testimony against it, the committee agreed and thumbed the bill down.
There are two sides to every story, said Driskill, including the Holocaust.

Wyo. House Education Committee kills school censorship bill

Sen. Ogden Driskill, the bill’s sponsor, argued that his proposed law would ensure historical events like the Holocaust receive more balanced treatment. Its opponents said it would amount to drawing a target on teachers’ backs.
Senators Bo Biteman and Charlie Scott led the effort to derail the adults' work.

Wyoming Senate scraps “redistricting” plan in a reckless power play

County clerks, legislators, local officials, and members of the public worked for months to reach consensus on a new statewide election district map. On Tuesday, the Wyoming Senate voted to throw that plan in the trash and start from scratch with just seven days remaining in the 2022 legislative session. The Senate’s move is a last-ditch attempt to give outsized influence to rural areas that have lost residents over the past decade, while under-representing more urban areas like Cheyenne that have experienced population growth.
While Wyoming legislators wring their hands and worry about reelection, 25,000 Wyoming residents lack any reasonable access to affordable healthcare.

Procedural hurdles and political calculations help trip up Wyoming Medicaid expansion

Rules governing the legislature’s “budget session” and lawmakers wary of right-wing primaries helped thwart efforts to pass Medicaid expansion this year. Meanwhile, grassroots advocates vow to mobilize around the 2022 elections.
If party-switching voters are "cheating to win," what do you call these shady tactics?

Senate advances election restriction bill through Agriculture Committee and after-hours vote

Wyoming Senate leaders pressured members to re-assign a bill that would restrict voting in primary elections to a more favorable committee. After clearing the Agriculture Committee with a 5 - 0 vote, Senators debated the bill late Wednesday night after almost everyone had left the Capitol. These tactics resemble past years’ efforts to ram through unpopular legislation backed by influential politicians.
Forget to register or re-register before May 12? NO VOTE FOR YOU!

Bill advances to limit voting in Wyoming primary elections

A bill that would require Wyoming voters to register with a political party months in advance of a primary election passed an introduction vote in the Senate last week. Currently, thousands of Wyoming voters register on the same day or shortly in advance of elections. The new law would bar voters from participating in the 2022 primary unless they register before May 12.
Do your local legislators make the grade?

Pass or Fail: Wyoming teachers union launches legislative scorecard

Sure, teachers and principals impact your kids’ education. But so do state legislators and the laws they pass. The Wyoming Education Association’s new scorecard grades state lawmakers according to their votes and informs the public about which bills shape K-12 education in the state.