Secretary Gray, Wyoming Secretary of State, reviewed a slate of election bills that fell short in the 2025 session and urged the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions interim committee to prioritize and refine them.

Gray said many measures were grouped into five categories and called out specific bills by number, including “chain of custody. In house bill 1 31, ballot drop boxes prohibition,” and a set on hand counts and audits such as “House bill 2 17, random hand count audits of election results” and “House bill 2 32, elections hand counting for recounts.” He described other priorities as “House bill 2 15 is the prohibition on electronic voting equipment,” and “House bill 2 45, pen and paper ballots.”

The secretary framed the bills as technical and procedural moves to restore or strengthen chain of custody and public confidence. He recommended combining closely related measures and asked the committee to use the interim to prepare engrossed drafts. Representative Weber proposed that the Legislative Service Office draft a group of bills for the next meeting; Representative Webb’s motion to ask LSO to prepare a package that included several bills (and HB 1 56 cleanup language) passed on a voice vote, with Representative Lucas indicating support.

Why it matters: the package covers steps that would change how ballots are cast, handled and recounted statewide — from banning drop boxes and ballot harvesting to requiring more hand counts, restricting electronic voting equipment and tightening voter-ID rules. Supporters said the bills would raise confidence in election integrity; opponents and some public commenters warned of creating new barriers to voting for seniors and people with access problems.

Key details

- Chain of custody / drop boxes / ballot harvesting: Secretary Gray described HB 131 (ballot drop box prohibition) and HB 238 (ballot-harvesting prohibition) as top priorities that, if enacted, would remove drop boxes and ban third-party ballot collection in state law.

- Hand counts and audits: HB 217 would require a full hand count of one precinct in every county as a random audit; HB 232 would expand hand recount procedures for close races; and HB 278 was described as a detailed bill to strengthen voting-machine testing after statutory gaps were revealed during the primary and general elections.

- Voting machines and ballot format: Gray said HB 215 would prohibit electronic voting equipment and that HB 245 would move toward “pen and paper ballots” and away from barcode-driven tabulation. He said those measures were aligned with an executive order referenced in testimony.

- Voter ID and absentee ballots: Bills discussed included HB 145 (requiring unique identifiers on absentee inner envelopes), HB 160 and HB 206 (tightening acceptable ID and removing non-photo IDs), and proposals to avoid broad hardship attestations that would otherwise bypass photo-ID requirements.

- Poll watchers and election judges: HB 307 (polling station observation) and HB 321 (election judge selection) were described as efforts to clarify who may observe absentee tabulation, who may remain after polls close, and how parties submit judge lists.

Public comments and stakeholder positions

- Tom Laycock, AARP Wyoming associate state director, told the committee AARP supported HB 206 as amended in Senate committee and urged the committee to find alternatives for voters who lack photo ID, including mobile or special voting deputies for residential care facilities and other verification options. Laycock said clerks reported roughly “303 hundred 50” (reported by clerks as about 303–350) people used Medicare cards in the last election and urged outreach to those voters.

- Patty Junik of Wyoming Election Integrity said she and her group supported all the secretary’s bills as corrective measures put off in prior years.

- Veil Simmons (civics 307 / Why Vote?) urged a structured risk assessment rather than broad new restrictions, cited national studies that show noncitizen voting is vanishingly rare, and warned that tightening rules could create barriers for eligible voters.

- Andy Mangione, AMAC Action, said the bills “are not partisan. They're practical,” and urged strict ID requirements and bans on drop boxes and third-party ballot collection.

Actions and next steps

- The committee voted by voice to ask LSO to draft a package of bills (mover: Representative Webb; second: Representative Lucas). The package included multiple bills the secretary highlighted and the HB 156 cleanup language addressing durational residency.

- Senator Landen moved, seconded and won a voice vote to add Senate File 190 (the senate’s compromise bill referenced by the secretary) to the list the committee will consider at its next meeting.

Discussion vs. decision

- Discussion: Extensive technical discussion and public comment on chain-of-custody, hand counts, machine testing, pen-and-paper ballots, voter ID alternatives and poll-watcher rules.

- Direction: Committee directed LSO to draft an initial bill package to vet at the next meeting; committee chairs asked staff to prioritize a subset (roughly 8–10) for interim work.

- Decision: Committee adopted a procedural motion (voice vote) to request LSO drafts; no final legislative changes were adopted at the meeting.

Ending

Committee members and stakeholders left the meeting with clear interim work: staff will draft combined bills and options for voter-ID alternatives and testing protocols; the committee will use the interim to reconcile technical language and consider trade-offs between security measures and voter access.

Speakers quoted in this article were: Secretary Gray (Wyoming Secretary of State), Karen Wetzel Lander (commenter), Tom Laycock (AARP Wyoming), Patty Junik (Wyoming Election Integrity), Veil Simmons (civics 307 / Why Vote?), Andy Mangione (AMAC Action), Representative Webb, Representative Lucas, Representative Weber, Senator Landen.