Senate committee advances bill to bar unattended ballot drop boxes after debate and amendments

House Bill 131, a proposal to clarify that Wyoming law does not allow unattended ballot drop boxes, advanced out of the Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee after public testimony and several amendments.

The committee approved an amendment that would permit a secured receptacle — described by its sponsor as akin to a bank "night drop" — that deposits ballots inside a courthouse or other government building and is accessible only to the county clerk or a sworn designee. The amendment requires that the receptacle be under video surveillance and checked daily, restricts the receptacle to ballot use only, and requires a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for use of government buildings other than the county courthouse. Members also adopted language adding a sworn-designee requirement and a separate amendment that allows possible reimbursement from available federal funds for costs tied to compliance.

Why it matters: Supporters said the bill would remove a security risk they view as inherent to unstaffed drop boxes and create…