Lawmakers hear pitch on redrawing Wyoming’s legislative districts to give rural counties more say in the statehouse

NEWCASTLE — Last year, Weston County attempted to send additional lawmakers to the Wyoming Legislature under the theory that one of the state’s least populated counties was underrepresented in the statehouse.

That effort didn’t succeed directly, but it did spur more discussions on the issue of rural representation, culminating Thursday in a group of Weston County voters making their pitch to lawmakers for redrawing the state’s legislative maps to adhere to county lines.

County residents offered a variety of solutions, from weighted votes to dramatically expanding the number of lawmakers. But their message was similar: the state’s most rural communities need a bigger voice.

“It makes all the difference in the world to have someone from your county that knows your school boards, knows you