When are members of the legislature elected? When do they take office?

• A. They are elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years and take office the first Monday in January.
• B. They are elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years and take office the first Monday in January.
• C. They are elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years and take office the second Monday in January.
• D. They are elected in November of even-numbered years and take office in January.

Answer: (C)

The timing tested here is how Wyoming schedules legislative elections and when new members officially begin. Legislators are elected in November of even-numbered years, and they take office on the second Monday in January after the election. This arrangement gives a regular, predictable cycle: the November general election occurs in an even-numbered year, and the January start date provides a fixed moment for oath-taking and the new session to begin.

That’s why the best match is the pattern of elections in even-numbered years and taking office on the second Monday in January. The other patterns don’t fit the state’s established schedule: odd-year elections don’t align with the standard general-election cycle, and taking office on the first Monday in January doesn’t match the specified start date.