Is the Wyoming Legislature interested in passing more election laws this session?

Since 2020 there have been 7 election bills that passed the Wyoming Legislature. A good share being about the bond elections on ballots and special district elections.

NEWS

With the 68^th Legislature convening into session this week, one wonders what bills will survive the 2/3 majority vote to be introduced. In a budget session every bill except the budget bill must pass the test to be introduced to a committee. Wyoming has already grappled with and enacted some election bills that made it into law, but with the steep climb for introduction and around 250 total bills filed, it may prove too much for some or all.

These are the election bills already filed with the Legislative Service Office for 2026.

HB0037	County officials-nonpartisan elections.	Chestek	H Received for Introduction	01/13/2026
HB0051	Random hand count audits of election results.	Corporations	H Received for Introduction	01/21/2026
HB0052	Elections-hand counting for recounts.	Corporations	H Received for Introduction	01/21/2026
HB0054	Elections-independent candidate requirements.	Corporations	H Received for Introduction	01/21/2026
HB0059	Bond election language process.	Lien	H Received for Introduction	01/27/2026
HB0084	Falsifying election documents.	Mgt Audit	H Received for Introduction	02/04/2026
HB0085	Post-election audit procedures.	Mgt Audit	H Received for Introduction	02/04/2026
HB0086	Removal of county officers-election code violations.	Mgt Audit	H Received for Introduction	02/04/2026
HB0094	Election purity and hand count act.	Smith	H Received for Introduction	02/04/2026
SF0028	Elections-voting machine and voting system tests.	Corporations	S Received for Introduction	01/07/2026
SF0029	Elections-acceptable identification revisions.	Corporations	S Received for Introduction	01/04/2026
SF0030	Elections-voter registration revisions.	Corporations

In the 2025 General session, there were 13 election integrity bills proposed but only two made it through the whole process to become law:

House Bill 79 – Bond elections-voter threshold requirements (Styvar)

The bill passed but was vetoed by the Governor and overridden by the legislature to become law.

House Bill 228 – Prohibition on private funds for conducting elections. (Knapp)

The bill passed and was signed into law.

Let’s take a closer look at 3 of the election integrity bills filed for the 2026 Budget Session this year.

House Bill 37- County officials-nonpartisan elections (Chestek)

The offices of county clerk, county treasurer, county assessor, county coroner, sheriff, county and prosecuting attorney, district attorney and clerk of the district court under this chapter shall be nonpartisan.

This is a repeat of a bill in 2025 that died in committee.

House Bill 51 - Random hand count audit of election results.

In addition to the audit under subsections (a) and (b) of this section, following each primary and general election, each county clerk shall conduct an audit of the ballots in one (1) precinct as provided in this subsection. The secretary of state shall randomly select one (1) precinct in each county to be audited as provided in this subsection. The county clerk shall conduct a hand count audit of all ballots cast in the precinct selected by the secretary of state and shall compare the hand count result to the result tabulated by the electronic voting system. The audit under this subsection shall be completed not later than one (1) week after the date of the election. The results of the audit and the comparison shall immediately be reported to the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall adopt rules necessary to implement this subsection, including rules establishing the scope of the audit and the procedures for conducting the audit under this subsection.

This was a personal bill that died in the 2025 General session but is being run by the Corporations Committee in the 2026 Budget session.

House Bill 84 – Falsifying election results. (Mgt. Audit Committee)

AN ACT relating to elections; specifying that falsifying election documents includes submitting a false post-election ballot audit; and providing for an effective date. Falsifying election documents consists of performing any of the following acts with the intent to deceive or mislead an elector or an election official:

Since 2020 there have been 7 election bills that passed the Wyoming Legislature. A good share being about the bond elections on ballots and special district elections. So as the news media outlets begin their conversations about whether the legislature is limiting voters’ rights or expanding their rights, keep in mind that all the bills will have to pass introduction.

Each bill will then begin its way through the House to be fully debated and passed; then on to the Senate for a full debate; if passed by the Senate, the bill will go back to the House to work out any differences between the two chambers and finally the executive branch before any new election bills become law.

In between there, the public will have opportunity to make their voices heard through public testimony in committees or by emailing their legislators.

Originally published by The Open Range Record, Wyoming's Independent News Source. Cite as: “Is the Wyoming Legislature interested in passing more election laws this session?,” The Open Range Record, February 18, 2026.