Counties-election districts.

WORKING DRAFT

ORIGINAL SENATE
FILE

NO.
0014

ENROLLED ACT NO. 40, SENATE

SIXTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WYOMING
2011 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to
county commissions;
providing for districting by single member
or multi-member
districts, at large representation or any combination
thereof
;
providing authority
to county commissions
to creat
e and amend county commissioner districts
without election as specified
; providing terms of county commissioners subject to districting
and redistricting
;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.
W.S. 18
‑
3
‑
501
(h) and
by creating a new subsection (k) is amended to read:

18
‑
3
‑
501.

Composition; election for increasing the number; term; quorum; election for districting; procedures.

(h)

If the proposition for districting is approved, the board of county commissioners shall devise a districting plan dividing the county into
five (5)
districts as nearly equal in population as practicable considering the geographic, economic and social characteristics of the county. The districting plan shall be made before March 1 next following the election at which the proposition for districting is approved and shall be effective as of March 1 the following year.
The districting plan may provide that a
ny commissioner elected after the effective date of the districting plan shall reside in and represent the district from which he is elected by the electors of that district
,
and, beginning January 1, 2012,
that commissioners may serve at large or that district representation may be apportioned in any combination of single member
, multi-member
and at large representation, provided that in all cases commissioners represent a population
as nearly equal
as is practicable considering the geographic, economic and social characteristics of the county
. Commissioners in office on the effective date of the districting plan shall serve the county at large until the regular expiration of their term. The districting plan shall designate which districts shall elect county commissioners in the general election next following the effective date of the districting plan. In any county in which the voters approved increasing the number of commissioners and districting at the same election, the districting plan shall also designate which district shall elect a county commissioner at the next general election for a term of two (2) years, as provided by subsection (b) of this section. The ballot shall state the term in the designated district to be for two (2) years. Thereafter, all terms shall be four (4) years.

(k)

If
required to do so pursuant to a
final
court order
or changes in population affecting the constitutionality of a current districting plan
, the board of county commissioners
may
by resolution
devise a districting
or redistricting
plan dividing the county into
any number of

districts

necessary to meet the requirements of the court order
or necessary to address the population changes
.
A districting
or redistricting
plan devised under this subsection may include single member
or multi-member
districts in which the candidates must reside and which are apportioned by population, districts in which candidates are elected at large, or any combination of districts in which candidates must reside and are apportioned by population or are elected at large

provided that in all cases commissioners represent a population as nearly equal as is practicable considering the geographic, economic and social characteristics of the county
. A
districting
or redistricting
plan
created under this subsection
shall not be subject to a vote of the electors
and shall go into effect after the next general election
and shall be subject to the following:

(i)

An initial
districting pla
n
created under this subsection shall provide for
at least
fifty
-one
percent (51
%)
of

the commissioners to serve an initial term of two (2) years

and the remainder to serve an initial term of four (4) years. Thereafter,
all
term
s
shall be four (4) years. The terms of all commissioners serving at the time of the approval of the districting plan shall expire at the end of the current year and all
offices created under this subsection shall be filled

at the general election
held on
the
effective date of the districting plan
;

(ii)

For a redistricting plan,
commissioners in office on the effective date of the districting plan shall serve the county at large until the regular expiration of their term
,
if practical. The county commission shall determine whether honoring the four
(4)
year terms
is
practical
.

Section 2.
This act is effective
July 1, 2011
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1