Wyoming committee approves bill to require runoffs for top statewide and federal primaries

Speaker Chip Nyman, sponsor of House Bill 249, told the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee the measure would require a runoff when no candidate for certain statewide or federal offices receives 50% plus one vote in a partisan primary. "It concerns me, that we're electing people that do not have over half the vote," Speaker Nyman said during his opening remarks.

The bill would apply to the state's top five statewide elected offices and federal offices, not to legislative races, Nyman said. Under the proposal the primary would move to May and, if needed, a runoff would be held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in August in general-election years. The bill adds statutory language throughout current election law to create the runoff process, specifies ballot and notice requirements, allows write‑in candidates in runoffs, and creates an account to reimburse counties…