This page explains the data behind the Constitutional Competence ranking that is determined for every legislator. The Competence ranking occurs as the third tab on every legislator’s page.
The competence ranking is a final score of how each legislator voted on specific constitutional issues and bills. We chose past bills, and determined what the proper constitutional vote should have been. How every legislator voted is measured against the vote we prescribed.
Keeping track of every vote among many bills making their way through the legislative process in both the House and Senate – among 93 legislators can be a daunting task. Thus it is quite fortunate for us that an outside website, called Evidence Based Wyoming, developed and offers the exact statistical tool we needed to accomplish this.
There are eight constitutional issues that we chose, with each being represented by a selection of specific bills that have been through the WY legislative process in the past 5 years. We tried to stick with as many 2023 bills as possible to generate scores on our freshmen legislators, but still came up lacking in areas where many did not have an opportunity to vote on certain bills. Those cases are noted with N/A and are not included in final calculations.
The title for each issue below is embedded with a link that brings you to the data at Evidence Based Wyoming that we generated using their statistical tool. At the bottom of each of those data page is the list of bills we used with the constitutional votes we prescribed. This includes all votes in both houses: Introduction votes (when a roll was called), standing committee votes, 2nd and 3rd reading votes, as well as votes on any amendments.
The issues and bills are as follows:
#1: Separation of Powers. The constitutional provisions that declare this law are found in: The United State Constitution, Articles I, II and III; and the Wyoming State Constitution Article 2, Section 1. This issue is represented by one bill:
- 2023 SF0023 Treatment courts-transfer to judicial branch.
#2: First Amendment – Right to Healthcare Decisions (COVID Mandates issue). The provisions that declare these constitutional rights are found in: The United State Constitution, First Amendment; and the Wyoming State Constitution, Article 1, Section 38. This issue is represented by six bills:
- 2023 HB0143 – Health mandates-CDC and WHO jurisdiction in Wyoming.
- 2022 SF0094 – Penalties for mandating COVID-19 vaccinations- 2.
- 2021 SF1020 – Penalties for mandating COVID-19 vaccinations.
- 2021 SF1010 – Grace Smith Medical Freedom Act-2.
- 2021 SF1007 – COVID and mRNA vaccines-limitations and prohibitions.
- 2021 SF1004 – COVID-19 vaccinations-employer prohibition-2.
#3: Second Amendment / Right to Self Defense. The provisions that declare these constitutional rights are found in: The United State Constitution, Second Amendment; and the Wyoming State Constitution, Article 1, Section 24. This issue is represented by five bills:
- 2023 HB0126 – Trespass-removal of trespasser.
- 2022 SF0087 – Second Amendment Preservation Act.
- 2022 HB0133 – Second Amendment Preservation Act-2.
- 2018 SF0071 – Stand your ground.
- 2018 HB0168 – Stand your ground-2.
#4: Fourth and Fifth Amendments. This issue hones in on your right against unreasonable searches and seizures; your right to privacy and security in your person, house, papers and effects; and your right to not self-incriminate. The provisions that declare these constitutional rights are found in: The United State Constitution, Fourth and Fifth Amendments; and the Wyoming State Constitution, Article 1, Section 4, Article 1, Section 6, and Article 1, Section 11. This issue is represented by five bills:
- 2023 SF0171 – Wyoming second amendment financial privacy act.
- 2023 HB0253 – Credit card defense act
- 2022 HB0086 – Genetic data privacy-amendments.
- 2022 SF0088 – COVID and mRNA vaccine status-privacy and discrimination.
- 2021 SF0101 – Pen registers and trap and trace devices- authorization.
#5: Right to Life/ Pro-Life. The provisions that declare these constitutional rights are found in: The Declaration of Independence; the Ninth Amendment; the Tenth Amendment; WY State Constitution Article 1, Section 2 Equality of All.
- 2020 HB0197 – Abortion-48 hour waiting period.
- 2020 SF0131 – Human heartbeat protection act.
- 2021 HB0070 – Abortion-informed consent.
- 2021 HB0134 – Human heartbeat protection act.
- 2021 HB0161 – Human life equality-prohibiting discriminatory abortions.
- 2021 HB0253 – Higher education-ban on funding for abortions.
- 2021 SF0034 – Born alive infant-means of care.
- 2021 SF0133 – Prohibiting abortifacients and chemical abortions.
- 2022 HB0092 – Abortion prohibition-supreme court decision.
- 2022 HB0149 – Human life equality-prohibiting discriminatory abortions.
- 2022 SF0083 – Prohibiting chemical abortions.
- 2023 HB0152 – Life is a Human Right Act.
- 2023 SF0109 – Prohibiting chemical abortions.
#6 Protection of Children/ Parental Rights (Transgender issue). The provisions that declare these constitutional rights are found in the Wyoming State Constitution, Article 7, Section 20. This issue is represented by five bills:
- 2023 SF0117 – Parental rights in education.
- 2023 SF0133 – Student eligibility in interscholastic sports.
- 2023 SF0144 – Chloe’s law-children gender change prohibition.
- 2023 HB0087 – Crimes of obscenity-revisions.
#7: Sectarianism Prohibited in Schools (Critical Race Theory Issue). The provisions that declare these constitutional rights are found in the Wyoming State Constitution, Article 7, Section 12; Article 7, Section 8, Article 7, Section 20; Article 3 Section 36. This issue is represented by three bills:
- 2023 SF0130 – Educational Freedom Act.
- 2022 HB0097 – Ban on teaching and training critical race theory.
- 2022 SF0103 – Education-limitations on teaching critical race history-2.
#8: Civics Education. This issue focuses on the essential education children require to understand our republic and our history. The provisions that declare this a constitutional necessity is found in the Wyoming State Constitution, Article 1, Section 23, and Article 7, Section 20. This issue is represented by five bills:
- 2023 SF0114 – Constitutional instruction and examination requirements.
- 2022 SF0062 – Civics Transparency Act.
- 2021 HB0177 – Education-Understanding federal and state government.
- 2019 SF0143 – Civics proficiency.
- 2019 HB0129 – Civics proficiency examination.
CLICK HERE FOR 2023 All Legislator Constitutional Competence Scores & Final Averages