Elections-independent candidate requirements.

26LSO-0046
2026
STATE OF WYOMING
26LSO-0046
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0054

Elections-independent candidate requirements.

Sponsored by: Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to elections; requiring independent candidates to swear that they are unaffiliated or not registered with a major or minor political party; revising the number of signatures required for independent candidates to appear on the general election ballot; revising the deadline to file a petition as an independent candidate; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 22
‑
5
‑
301(a), 22
‑
5
‑
304 and 22
‑
5
‑
307 are amended to read:

22
‑
5
‑
301.

Independent partisan candidates; form.

(a)

Independent candidates for partisan public offices may be nominated by filing a signed petition in substantially the following form:

PETITION FOR NOMINATION

I, ...., swear or affirm that I was born on ...., ....(year), that I have been a resident of the State of Wyoming since ...., and that I am a registered voter of Election District No. ...., in Precinct No. ...., County of ...., residing at ...., (if for the office of state senator or representative, commissioner or other district office) in Senate (House) (Commissioner or other) District ...., State of Wyoming, (if for the office of governor)
, that I am an unaffiliated voter or am otherwise not registered in a major or minor political party
and that I resided at the physical residential addresses listed below during the past five (5) years, and having obtained the number of signatures required by law for nomination by petition, I hereby request that my name be printed on the official ballot at the next general election as an independent candidate for the office of .... and declare that if nominated and elected, I will qualify for the office.

(If for the office of United States senator or representative in congress) I have not, at any time when knowingly seeking nomination or election to this office, claimed or been currently claiming any residence or received the benefits of residency from any other state, excluding the benefits of residency related to or incidental from maintaining a residence at or near the United States capital.

(If for the office of governor) I have resided at the following physical residential addresses during the past five (5) years:

(Residence)

(Date)

1. ...................

...................

2. ...................

...................

Dated the .... day of ...., ....(year).

....................... (Signature)

The eligible, registered electors supporting my nomination, and numbering not less than the number required under W.S. 22
‑
5
‑
304, are as follows:

(Signature)

(Printed Name)

(Residence)

(Date)

1.

...................

2.

...................

VERIFICATION BY CIRCULATORS

I, ...., do hereby certify that I am a circulator of this petition, and I solely and personally circulated this petition, that all the signatures appearing herein were made in my presence from .... (month) .... (day), ....(year) through .... (month) .... (day), ....(year), and to the best of my knowledge and belief such signatures are those of the persons whose names they purport to be.

............... (Signature)

22
‑
5
‑
304.

Qualifications and number of signers required.

(a)

For a statewide partisan office, a petition shall be signed by registered electors, resident in the state and eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering not less than
two percent (2%)
five percent (5%)
of the total number of votes cast for representative in congress in the last general election for the entire state.

(b)

For a countywide partisan office, a petition shall be signed by registered electors, resident in the county and eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering not less than
two percent (2%)
five percent (5%)
of the total number of votes cast for representative in congress in the last general election for the entire county.

(c)

For a district partisan election, a petition shall be signed by registered electors, resident in the district and eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering not less than
two percent (2%)
five percent (5%)
of the total number of votes cast for the office in that particular district in the last general election.

If a district's boundaries have changed since the last general election, then the required number of petition signatures shall not be less than
two percent (2%)
five percent (5%)
of the number of
registered voters in the current district boundaries at the close of day on the day immediately preceding the primary
votes cast for the particular office in the last general
election.

22
‑
5
‑
307.

Time for filing independent petitions.

Petitions filed
An independent candidate for partisan public office shall obtain approval to circulate the petition as required by W.S. 22
‑
5
‑
301(b)
with the secretary of state
and with
or
the county clerk
shall be filed
not less than
seventy (70)
eighty
‑
one (81)
days before
a
the date of the primary election in the applicable
general election
year
.
The candidate shall have not more than fourteen (14) additional days after obtaining approval of the candidate's petition to file the petition with the appropriate filing office.

Section 2
.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution
.

(END)

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HB0054