Election reform, fraud prevention, grid stability and more proposed for interim study

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Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, listens in the Senate chambers Feb. 12 at the state Capitol in Cheyenne.

CHEYENNE — As this year’s budget session winds down, state lawmakers are considering which topics to prioritize throughout the rest of the year.

On Tuesday, the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee met to discuss items ranging from sweeping overhauls of election procedures to proactive measures against high-tech real estate fraud.

By the end of the meeting, no final decisions had been made on which topics would officially move forward. Instead, Co-Chair Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, directed committee members to submit a list of their top five or six priorities to the Management Council for them to decide the interim topics.

Gray’s continued push for election reform

Secretary of State Chuck Gray presented a slate of proposed interim topics that largely cover items he has pushed for in previously failed pieces of legislation. He said these priorities are in line with President Donald Trump’s executive orders calling for election reform.

Gray advocated for a transition to pen-and-paper ballots and the removal of barcodes from all ballots, both of which were items in legislation that failed to be introduced in the first week of this legislative session and also failed in 2025.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray

“I really think we need to do that,” Gray said regarding the barcodes. “No human being can read them, unless somebody can volunteer and prove me wrong on that.”

He also renewed a push for banning ballot collection, an issue that has also failed in the past two years. Gray remained optimistic about its prospects, stating, “I really do think there’s majorities in both chambers on this. ... I think we get it to the finish line and have Wyoming join the over 30 states that have this ban in place.”

The committee also heard testimony regarding the influence of “dark money” and foreign contributions in state elections. Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep, and Jen Simon of American Promise highlighted the difficulty states face in regulating campaign finance due to federal court rulings.

Simon noted that over the last 50 years, the courts have systematically “struck down” state legislation in this area, “removing the power of state legislators to determine your own state campaign finance laws.”

Rep. Ken Chestek, D-Laramie

Rep. Ken Chestek, D-Laramie, advocated for electing county officers, like treasurers and clerks, on a nonpartisan basis to prioritize technical skills over party affiliation. He argued the change would attract a wider pool of qualified candidates for specialized roles, and asked the committee to consider this as another interim topic.

At the end of the meeting, Malcolm Irwin, the Platte County clerk and president of the Wyoming County Clerks Association, asked the committee to consider the workload assigned to clerk’s offices during the upcoming interim period.

“We would urge you to select at least one that doesn’t involve our offices. Electricity sounds like a great option at this point,” he said, noting that county clerks will be focusing on election preparation throughout the summer.

Fraud in Wyoming

Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, proposed a “locked position” for property titles to prevent the growing threat of title deed fraud.

Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton

“With the advent of AI, it’s become exponentially more of a problem because it makes it even easier for these fraudsters to create false documents to impersonate you on paper,” Guggenmos said.

His proposal would allow homeowners to voluntarily lock their titles, requiring in-person verification to unlock them for transfers.

“No other state has gone this far,” Guggenmos told the committee. “We have a good chance here of actually leading the nation in title protection.”

Parallel to real estate concerns, the Secretary of State’s Office highlighted the need to combat fraudulent corporate filings and the misuse of registered agents. Gray and his staff said the state needs better statutory tools and software upgrades to “root out” fraud, noting that Wyoming is currently one of only two states that does not have the latest security enhancements for filing systems.

Marian Smith of the National Insurance Crime Bureau testified that Wyoming is also one of only two states without mandatory insurance fraud reporting. Smith said a lack of oversight costs consumers thousands in increased premiums. She warned that “storm chasers” and inflated billing target vulnerable residents who currently lack these statutory protections, and asked the committee members to consider this as another interim topic.

Electric grid reliability

The committee also discussed Wyoming’s energy economy. Industry experts and lobbyists warned of a risk to the state’s electric grid. Jody Levin, representing the trona mining and petroleum industries, cited reports from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation that point to potential power shortages as soon as 2028.

For industrial giants like the trona industry, which supports 2,400 employees and generates nearly $600 million in annual economic impact, Levin said, the stakes of a power failure are massive.

“You lose power in the winter, it could be catastrophic,” Case said following Levin’s testimony that plants could be offline for up to a year if specialized equipment like boilers and piping were damaged by a sudden winter outage.

Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington

In another interim topic proposal, Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington, proposed a new framework for legislative oversight of large energy projects receiving state funding. Modeled after existing water and wildlife trust funds, the proposal aims to ensure public accountability. Steinmetz said the process would “provide the public more opportunity to have a say” regarding how their tax dollars are expended.

Additional proposed interim topics

The committee also discussed the following proposed interim topics:

• Public records and meetings: Continuing modernization of the Public Records Act, specifically addressing fees for electronic records and attorney fee recovery.

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) growth: Modifying education and experience requirements to address a shortage of CPAs in the state.

• Municipal audits: Moving the filing deadline for municipal audits to March 31 to alleviate pressure on limited auditing resources.

• Small water utilities: An educational session on the financial and regulatory challenges facing small, often aging, municipal water systems.

• 911 funding: Reviewing a statewide grant program and equipment inventory study for county emergency services.

• Low-income health coverage: Exploring Wyoming-specific insurance options, such as state-sponsored or co-op plans, for working adults.

• Unlimited Liability Company: Creating a new corporate entity type to assist sole proprietorships with federal tax elections.

• Annexation into community colleges: Updating statutes to allow colleges to grow property tax support when expanding facilities into new areas.

• Recall of municipal officials: Refining the statutory process for recalling local elected leaders.

• Whole county apportionment: Exploring multi-member legislative districts to keep counties whole during redistricting.

• Pipeline safety violations: Aligning state penalties for pipeline violations with federal standards to ensure state regulatory primacy.

• Fire protection districts: Addressing the financial stability of districts dependent on mill levies and exploring combinations with EMS districts.

• Development and permitting: Reducing red tape by allowing third-party inspections for building permits and reviewing fire codes for commercial buildings.

The committee’s members were expected to submit their prioritized rankings this week. These rankings will serve as the foundation for the final list of interim studies approved by the Management Council, which will dictate the committee’s workload through the remainder of 2026.

Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s state government reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or [email protected].