JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — New data from the 2020 U.S. Census will likely mean a redistricting for counties in Wyoming including Teton.
The Teton County Clerk’s Office is hosting an open house this week to discuss the redistricting process for Teton County, and what it means for representation in the state legislature. The open house is scheduled for October 13, from 4-7pm at the Teton County Commissioners Chambers located in the Teton County Administration Building at 200 South Willow Street in Jackson. The meeting will also be streamed via Zoom.
Teton County Clerk Maureen Murphy and Wyoming Representatives Mike Yin and Jim Roscoe will be available to explain the process, provide maps, answer questions, and receive feedback. Representative Roscoe sits on the Wyoming Legislature Joint Corporations, Elections, and Political Subdivisions Committee overseeing the redistricting process.
“We’d love to hear from the public about some initial proposals for redistricting in Teton County and our surrounding region,” Murphy said. “This only happens once every 10 years, so it is important that we take the time now to draw lines that make the most sense for representation in our community.”
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn based on results of the U.S. Census, which is conducted every 10 years. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Wyoming’s population grew from 563,626 in 2010 to 576,851. Teton County’s population increased by 9.6% from 21,294 to 23,331.
“Based on how the population has shifted throughout the state over the past 10 years, we need reshape district boundaries in a way that fairly distributes legislative representation throughout the state based on where population has grown or shrunk,” Murphy added.
The Joint Corporations, Elections, and Political Subdivisions Committee has grouped Wyoming’s 23 counties into 10 regions, which will work together to establish redistricting lines for the Joint Legislative Committee. Teton County is grouped with Lincoln, Sublette, and Uinta counties, representing Region 10.
The committee will meet in November and December to conduct redistricting analysis before finalizing recommendations to the Wyoming Legislature for the 2022 Budget Session, which will convene on Monday, February 14, 2022.
