House Appropriations Committee declines to act on Senate File 190 after public concerns about voting-machine transparency

Members of the Wyoming House Appropriations Committee declined to move on Senate File 190 during a committee meeting, leaving the bill without action and effectively failing it in committee after no motion was offered.

The committee opened public comment on the bill and heard testimony from Brian Shuck, an attorney in Cheyenne who identified himself as general counsel for the Wyoming Republican Party. Shuck told the committee he had reviewed the bill and said he had “great concerns” about its language and about a lack of transparency surrounding testing of voting machines. "We have asked for test results over the last 6 months related to the testing of the machines and we have been met with silence, stonewalling," Shuck said.

Shuck said party representatives were told testing records were sealed and then directed to file public records requests; when requests were submitted, he said, officials told requesters the records would be provided in 30 days. He recommended the committee treat the measure as an interim topic and work with stakeholders to rewrite it, saying the bill’s language as introduced could not be amended to address his concerns.

Committee members noted the bill had passed through the Corporations Committee the night before. After public comment closed, no member moved to act on the measure. A committee member stated the bill would fail “based on no motion,” and the committee adjourned without taking formal action on Senate File 190.

Shuck also discussed the relationship between political-party regulation and election statutes, referencing Title 22 of the Wyoming statutes (the election law) and Title 4 (regulation of major political parties). He said political parties are formed under the First Amendment but are subject to limited regulation under state law. "Parties are a club," he told the committee, adding that Chapter 4 should impose minimal regulation while Title 22 governs election procedures.

The record shows the committee did not adopt any amendments, did not vote on the bill, and did not refer it elsewhere during this meeting. The transcript indicates the bill was discussed only during this single committee session and that committee members did not pursue further action at that time.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 190 — No motion made in committee; no formal vote recorded; outcome: failed/no action.

From the meeting's public comments and committee exchanges, the principal outstanding issues are transparency of voting-machine testing records, whether the bill’s provisions were reviewed with the Secretary of State, and whether stakeholders including major parties had been consulted. Shuck told the committee he did not believe the bill had been run by the Secretary of State’s office or by the Wyoming Republican Party prior to filing.

The committee did not set a follow-up date or direct staff to prepare revisions during the session. Pending next steps, proponents or opponents of the measure would need to pursue amendments or additional hearings in a future committee meeting or interim study period for the bill to advance.