…in Order to form a more perfect Union…
The Constitution restrains government. The Bill of Rights protects the individual. We fight to restore that order—and to put voters, not political machinery, back in charge of elections.
Repair a broken system. Restore constitutional order.
The Constitution set out a government of limited powers, divided authority, and rights that government must respect. We have never fully lived up to that promise. The Headwater Center exists to bring government closer to the constitutional order it calls for.
We draft legislation, build support for reform, and challenge rules that weaken self-government. Our work begins in Wyoming, with a commitment to constitutional limits and the people whose authority government is meant to serve.
The Whole Counties Plan
Stop carving up Wyoming. Keep counties whole.
Stop splitting Wyoming counties to draw legislative districts. Wyoming's Constitution placed counties at the heart of representation. The Whole Counties Plan returns to that principle: House districts made from complete counties, with seats awarded according to the votes cast.
See how the plan works
House districts use whole counties or groups of whole counties. No county is cut into pieces to draw the district.
A party list is its slate of House candidates. Primary voters choose the candidates and their order on each party list. In the general election, voters select a party list; petition candidates appear as one-person lists.
Each party list earns House seats according to its share of the district vote. Candidates take those seats in the order determined by primary voters. A petition candidate can earn one seat.
Turn votes into seats.
Choose a proposed House district and enter the share of its general election vote for each party list. See how many seats each could win.
The House chamber
0 of 63 seats filled · 0 of 12 districts
Calculate a district to add its seats. Recalculate the same district to replace its result.
What the votes could produce
Set the shares to 100%, then calculate the seats.
Illustration for one district, using the Webster method and the Center's revised county groupings. “Other” is treated as one list. Exact ties are resolved in the order shown here. Actual results also depend on district votes and candidates on each list. The linked 2026 bill is an earlier draft.
Our Plan to Secure the Blessings of Liberty
Election Reform and Fair Representation
Keep counties whole, make ballot access fair, and restore real competition. Election rules should serve voters and give distinct parts of Wyoming a voice in the House. Explore election reform →
The Bill of Rights and limited government
Defend speech, due process, property, privacy, and the right to keep and bear arms against government overreach. Explore individual rights →
9th and 10th Amendment Center: Local Control and Individual Rights
Protect rights the Constitution does not enumerate and powers it reserves to the states and the people. Push decisions back toward local government and the individual. Explore the policy center →
Change begins at the source.
Headwaters determine what flows downstream. The source of legitimate political power is the people. We work on the rules at that source: who gets elected, what government may do, and where its power ends.
Photo: Daniel Vorndran / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Repair the system.
Stand with us for whole counties, the Bill of Rights, and a government that knows its limits.