Wyo. lawmakers advance election reforms despite concerns from clerks

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee voted Monday to sponsor a comprehensive package of six election reform bills, focusing primarily on boosting manual ballot counting requirements, expanding poll watcher authority and tightening voter identification requirements.

The proposed reforms advanced despite warnings from county clerks that some changes could be logistically impossible to implement by the 2026 election cycle.

Critics, including some legislators, argued that the package unduly restricts ballot access and competition for independent candidates.

Random hand count audits of election results (26LSO-0043)

This bill would require county clerks to conduct a hand count audit in one randomly selected precinct following