[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6696074,"mediaKeyId","2224924-d2478c738b3fda6d722f1b1cc1e6166b","parentId",2224924,"title","Committee hears bill to ban electronic voting equipment; county clerks warn of major cost and logistical challenges","audioSeconds",4108,"startMs",4391000,"endMs",8499000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2224924-d2478c738b3fda6d722f1b1cc1e6166b&start=4391&end=8499","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2224924-d2478c738b3fda6d722f1b1cc1e6166b/thumbnail_4391000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6696074/Wyoming/Committee-hears-bill-to-ban-electronic-voting-equipment-county-clerks-warn-of-major-cost-and-logistical-challenges","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6696074-3e95e6316ed4602a9c6dadc7b044dc9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162112&Signature=T8bfV-QAFGoyBOvi4msfaG5vsUqwTmtLM9PrVIa77MfnXIRyyrWMWxRgmFbEP43~Re7T7k7JiBPgvVmYlfNhAL79jCJdLQWF~HkjuTBWB3wj4RxoPFHrr1AztauVeHefX1ywO0hsl5oftx5iddmRDyvRMlvVKA7J8PPB25upT9F7y~KLLqhpE2urIxn7~-rKZ4E50uCkv80XC4ezXvTz8N9gFJ8p1HG14lWgsrDy8TlnQnbI-qlv1iHiwS5aoC1kIHxnjsU6zKu1utPDHjvBUrJDfnEeIQEeZlWV9aJMZ~-cYXfG0lmtLL8qnmQWUdnfQVuuUm~uxIrKnMfO6iNxrA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-02-05T16:51:58.687Z","article","Senate File 184, a proposal to prohibit electronic voting equipment and require paper ballots counted by hand, received extensive testimony in the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee. Sponsors argued the measure would increase election integrity; clerks and the secretary of state said the bill would impose major operational and fiscal burdens and could create privacy and compliance problems.

Sponsor Senator Darren Smith framed the bill as an election‑integrity measure intended to restore public confidence. He told the committee that “hand counting … you might have some human errors and you might be off by 1 or 2 votes but programming errors can be hundreds if not thousands,” and said the bill’s provisions address testing, auditing and observer access.

Proponents’ testimony: Several citizens and local groups urged the committee to move away from electronic systems. Jill Kaufman of Platte County and other witnesses described county-level examples they said exposed vulnerabilities: outdated software and antivirus on county machines, alleged failures in logic‑and‑accuracy testing, proprietary vendor controls over system components, and localized tabulation anomalies. Witnesses asked for a statutory prohibition or for the legislature to place a ballot initiative before voters.

County clerks’ and officials’ testimony: County clerks and the Secretary of State urged caution. Mary Langford, representing the County Clerks Association, and county clerks from Campbell, Fremont and Laramie counties testified that electronic systems have been used in Wyoming for decades and that the association opposes an outright ban without an interim study. The Campbell County clerk, Cindy Lovelace, described a hand‑count pilot her office hosted and presented the pilot’s timing and cost estimates. She said a larger, fully implemented hand‑count system in Campbell County could require hundreds to more than two thousand volunteer counters, would demand substantial training hours and staff oversight, and could cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per election; the facilitators’ best‑case estimate provided to her office was 536 counters for the county and tens of thousands in implementation costs.

Lovelace also raised logistical and legal questions the bill does not resolve: how to preserve voter privacy when ballots are hand‑counted in small precincts, how to prevent or address overvotes (current optical‑scan systems prevent overvotes at the point of marking), how to staff counting operations when judges and poll workers already serve long Election Day shifts, and how to meet federal certification and audit timelines. Laramie County Clerk Deborah Lee said vote centers cannot operate without electronic poll books and that eliminating e‑poll books while allowing vote centers would create operational problems. Clerks asked the committee to refer the topic to an interim study, or to consider narrower statutory remedies (for example, more frequent or more robust post‑election audits and hand recount procedures).

Secretary of State Chuck Gray said his office supports improvements and investigations but emphasized the practical consequences. He recounted the Weston County anomaly in 2024 and said staff worked with the county and the county association to retest devices and, where appropriate, conduct a hand recount. Gray said retesting and clearer administrative guidance are among the actions his office has taken and suggested that some questions could be resolved through targeted fixes rather than a complete ban.

Other witnesses: Civic groups, election‑integrity activists and initiative backers argued hand counting is feasible and cited foreign practices and small‑scale pilots. Supporters pointed to local groups’ document requests and audits they said identified irregularities. Opponents — including several clerks and the secretary of state — said the pilot data show substantial time, cost and personnel requirements and cited privacy, chain‑of‑custody and federal‑compliance concerns.

Outcome and next steps: The committee took testimony throughout the hearing and did not adopt the measure during this session portion. Multiple witnesses asked for an interim study; county clerks urged that any change receive thorough administrative review and funding. The committee scheduled continued consideration after the Senate’s floor schedule and signaled it will take additional testimony and technical drafts before advancing any ban or major procedural change.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee, February 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate File 184, which would require hand‑counted paper ballots and ban electronic voting equipment, drew lengthy testimony. Proponents cited security concerns and cited local anomalies; county clerks and the secretary of state warned that hand counting would be costly, slow, and pose privacy, chain‑of‑custody and federal‑compliance issues.","taxTitle","Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",61178,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6696079,"Committee approves interim study on constitutional reapportionment after hours of rural testimony",3525,866000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2224924-d2478c738b3fda6d722f1b1cc1e6166b&start=866&end=4391","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2224924-d2478c738b3fda6d722f1b1cc1e6166b/thumbnail_866000.jpg","/articles/6696079/Wyoming/Committee-approves-interim-study-on-constitutional-reapportionment-after-hours-of-rural-testimony","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6696079-929c8f882d9ac23deb616c71e37c023a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162112&Signature=YKYiAlKoK7YDeqUfeP-ggJHRx3swoZfoRNmbt-TbrzV7Hz~JCvDdOTA3LXx~6iTKymhyNiuBoI~mALCp2Of0kQcrlZua-N~~t47EzFJcs9cuniy8zDKj2s6kObdK20I8dTvOiWAC8c10GbTGcIKVkrk-Ntw3eZRS660L8r-B-6hoXWDgRuu7wIg9pSaIsswzx2UJH7iuv8AJsrvSSYpnyXwj9tr6SBG8o802EB65msk~qHOKrQP2rnhJ2v2rYTsQ0Sav9c6E6NwiXwwOZPqEhAHpozJE6ScVELqsnbpalh0z7JS31XTL6sxbLHCrUSRZHGOq1Y0lZJ4K4CvvXJ-Ibw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee voted to advance Senate File 174, a measure that would create an interim legislative management council to study constitutional apportionment and report recommendations before the 2026 session.

The bill’s sponsors, Senator Ogden Driscoll and Representative Williams, told the committee the measure is intended to give the legislature and the public time to evaluate whether Wyoming’s apportionment process can be reconciled with U.S. constitutional equal‑protection rulings or whether the state constitution should be amended. Senator Driscoll said the panel would hold meetings around the state and “make a good faith effort to apportion itself … in conformance” and, if necessary, propose constitutional changes for the 2026 session.

Why it matters: Speakers described an ongoing tension between the text of the Wyoming Constitution—particularly Article 3, Section 3, which the bill’s backers say preserves county‑based representation—and federal court rulings applying the Fourteenth Amendment’s one‑person, one‑vote principle. Backers said studying options in the interim will give rural communities a formal venue to present proposals and reduce conflict during future redistricting.

Supporters emphasized rural representation. Several citizens and local officials from Weston County and other small counties pressed the committee to either require plans that follow county lines or put a constitutional amendment to voters. Tricia Bauman of Weston County told the committee, “The people of Wyoming must authorize the legislature to act otherwise than in strict conformity with Article 3, Section 3 when redistricting.” Sue Morales, who identified herself as Weston County’s constitutional district senator, also testified in favor of the study committee.

Committee discussion focused on practical options. Witnesses and members discussed alternatives mentioned in past proceedings, including (1) increasing the size of the legislature to preserve county representation, (2) assigning weighted votes to representatives, and (3) trying to use sideboards that keep counties whole where possible while remaining within federal law. Several members said last cycle’s redistricting left some counties feeling disenfranchised and said an interim study could produce “sideboards” to reduce contention in the next plan.

Several senators who participated in prior redistricting described how political and personal considerations affected mapmaking and said a pre‑set study might reduce that influence. Sponsors told the committee the management council would gather public input statewide and “report its findings … no later than December 5” of the study year and that the council could introduce legislation in the 2026 budget session.

Vote and next steps: On a roll call in the committee the measure passed on a 5‑0 voice/roll call, with the clerk recording five ayes. The committee bill advances as a direction to form the interim study group; it does not itself change apportionment rules. If the interim group recommends statutory or constitutional changes, that would require additional legislative action and, for constitutional changes, voter approval.

What the bill does not do: The measure does not immediately alter district lines or adopt a new apportionment formula. It directs a legislative study and potential committee‑sponsored legislation for the 2026 session but leaves any final mapmaking decisions to later legislative or voter action.","The Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee voted to advance Senate File 174 to form a legislative interim study on reapportionment. Sponsors and rural witnesses urged either following Article 3, Section 3 of the Wyoming Constitution or amending it to resolve conflicts with U.S. equal‑protection precedents.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears bill to ban electronic voting equipment; county clerks warn of major cost and logistical challenges

Committee approves interim study on constitutional reapportionment after hours of rural testimony