At a Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee meeting in Casper, members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus pushed forward a slate of eight bills designed to tighten the state’s election procedures. The proposals, which would ban ballot drop boxes, restrict ballot delivery methods and tighten acceptable forms of voter identification, were approved for sponsorship and will move forward in the 69th Wyoming Legislature.
Committee votes and legislative outlook
Committee Co‑Chairman Cale Case, a Republican from Lander, noted that the timing of the bills could affect their prospects, saying, “There’s been an election in the intervening time between when these bills were proposed, and that has real implications on how these bills will be received in the 2027 session.” He expressed doubt that the measures would clear initial hurdles.
Despite Case’s caution, Freedom Caucus members on the panel were eager to press ahead. Rep. Tony Locke, a Casper Republican who lost his reelection bid, asked that each bill be heard and voted on. Rep. Joe Webb, another caucus member defeated in August, echoed the sentiment, stating, “If another Legislature deems that these bills are not necessary, that is their responsibility and that falls upon their shoulders, not ours. But I think we have the due diligence to proceed.”
Details of the sponsored measures
The eight sponsored bills focus on three primary areas:
- Eliminating the use of ballot drop boxes, which the caucus argues can be vulnerable to fraud.
- Restricting how ballots may be delivered, tightening rules to ensure only authorized personnel handle them.
- Revising acceptable forms of voter identification to include proof of residency and citizenship, building on 2025 legislation that added similar requirements.
Four additional bills were deferred to the committee’s November meeting for further consideration.
Dark‑money concerns and calls for transparency
Sen. Ed Cooper (Ten Sleep) introduced a resolution urging the panel to address what he described as an “election integrity problem” tied to undisclosed political spending. He highlighted that large sums of dark money were poured into Wyoming’s 2026 primary, benefitting both supporters and opponents of the Freedom Caucus.
One example cited was Make Liberty Win, a Virginia‑based political action committee that spent $549,000 largely supporting caucus candidates. The PAC’s funding is obscured because it receives money from its nonprofit affiliate, Young Americans for Liberty, which is not required to disclose individual donors.
Opposition groups also benefited from undisclosed funding. The PAC for a Better Wyoming spent about $191,000 opposing the caucus, with its sole reported source being the nonprofit Wyoming Donor Alliance, whose donors remain unknown.
Mills Mayor Leah Juarez testified that dark money is no longer limited to statewide races. She warned that a Wisconsin‑based political action committee targeted the mayoral election in Mills, a town of roughly 5,000 residents, underscoring the public’s right to know who is influencing local elections.
Calls for stronger campaign‑finance rules
Sen. Bill Landen (Casper), who is concluding his final term, expressed hope that Wyoming will strengthen its campaign‑finance disclosure laws. “I think there’s a lot of work to do in the Secretary of State’s office on this front. I don’t think that our disclosure methods are adequate enough,” he said.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for November, where the deferred bills and the dark‑money resolution will be revisited.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
