What if legislators represented people, not $

I was a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1975, serving as Minority Whip when there were 29 Democrats in the House finding meaningful compromises with the 32 Republicans. The Senate was equally divided 15-15. It was the high-water mark for bipartisanship. It’s been downhill ever since.

Things changed dramatically after an early 1990s court battle where Democrats “succeeded” in allowing the state to mostly ignore county lines when selecting legislators. That’s how a commanding GOP majority became institutionalized.

Former State Representative Matilda Hansen wrote a book about the court fight. In “Clear Use of Power,” she recounts a Republican house leader approaching a rural Democrat asking him to switch parties. “Why?” he asked, “You have most of the House seats now.” The Republican answered, “We want them all.”

They almost have them all. Today, there are nine Democrats and 51 Republicans in the House and only three of the 30 Senators are Democrats.

It wasn’t only partisan composition that changed. The so-called “one man, one vote” rule might have made sense had it resulted in people being represented rather than economic and political power.

The changes gave corporate lobbyists and interest groups added influence. With GOP control assured infinitely, Wyoming’s powerful business, mining, and agricultural needs left other, less powerful constituencies, behind. The legislature routinely overlooks the needs of women, children, poor families, low-income workers, cultural and ethnic minorities and others best represented by progressives who can seldom win an election in the current system.

Mandating that state legislative seats be apportioned by population has resulted in most of the population being unrepresented. Big money is represented now, not the people.

The practical problem is that the sum total of the special interests does not equal the public interest. The way in which the legislature is apportioned protects special interests while sidelining the public interest.   

The change is evident in the amount of money contributed to legislative candidates. In 1974, it was uncommon for a candidate to spend more than a thousand dollars on his or her campaign. Corporations were prohibited from contributing to campaigns. Out of state PACs played no role. In 2016, one Republican candidate for the state senate spent more than 45,000 dollars. Many receive significant contributions from corporate-connected PACs.

In the mid-70s there were few lobbyists and fewer with PAC money to wave around. Today the halls where the legislature does business are lined with money handlers. Likewise, the number of partisan and single-issue political action committees has skyrocketed. Their influence has a direct relationship to the amount of money they can distribute to candidates.

The Liberty Group, for example, used its influence to get many legislative candidates to sign a pledge. Regardless of what their constituents wanted, these candidates pledged to back the Liberty Group’s agenda for no new taxes, resulting in harmful cuts to education.

What if instead of population, the legislature was apportioned by the demographics of real Wyoming people? To begin with, such a reapportionment guarantees 50 percent of the legislature would be female. Sixteen percent would be composed of racial minorities, with one in five of them being Native American.

Nine percent would have a physical disability, 13% would have no health insurance. Twelve percent would live below the poverty line, at least half of them being single mothers. Members of the legislature would have a per capita income of just over $30,000 annually.

The occupation of legislators could be apportioned according to how many Wyomingites actually make their living in any segment of the economy, replacing a system that allows the economically powerful to hoard legislative seats. Suddenly, low-income workers would have a voice. The people would be represented.

Alas, it is but a dream. Only astute voters can make it happen. Jesus said that where you find someone’s treasure, there you will find their heart. As candidates start to campaign for the legislature, be aware of where they receive their money. That will tell you who it is they plan to represent.