Ballot initiative mechanics in Wyoming

How ballot initiatives work covers the four mechanisms nationally. This page covers Wyoming's specific numbers and deadlines. Wyoming allows citizens to propose new state statutes directly through the initiative process, and to challenge recently passed laws through the referendum process.

Wyoming's process

Both processes start with an application specifying the proposed measure's text, filed with the Secretary of State before signatures may be collected. Wyoming's process is widely regarded as one of the hardest in the country to complete. The main driver is its geographic distribution rule, not the raw signature count. Sponsors must hit the statewide 15% threshold separately in at least two-thirds of Wyoming's 23 counties (16 counties), so a drive concentrated in the state's more populous counties, like Laramie or Natrona, cannot succeed on its own.

This distribution requirement was added to the Wyoming Constitution in 1998 by Amendment B. A 2008 attempt to swap the county-based rule for a legislative-district-based rule was rejected by voters, leaving the county rule in place. Because the signature threshold is pegged to turnout in the most recent general election, the exact number needed changes after every general election.

Deadlines and numbers

• Statewide threshold, 2025-2026 cycle: 40,669 signatures (15% of the 271,123 total votes cast in the 2024 general election)
• Geographic distribution: 15% threshold also met in at least 16 of 23 counties. County thresholds range from under 200 signatures in the smallest counties to over 6,500 in the largest
• Circulation window: 18 months from receipt of the approved petition form
• 2026 initiative filing deadline: February 6, 2026, ahead of the Legislature convening February 9, 2026
• Referendum filing deadline: within 90 days after adjournment of the Legislature that passed the targeted law

Where to go

• Secretary of State, Initiative & Referendum: sos.wyo.gov/Elections/InitiativeReferendumInfo.aspx
• Initiative Process Information (PDF): sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/IPInfo.pdf
• Current signature requirement worksheet: sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2024/Signature_requirement_2025-26.pdf
• Elections division: (307) 777-5860, [email protected]

Rules

Wyoming's initiative process only offers a statutory initiative and a veto referendum, not a constitutional-amendment track, and it's consistently described by nonpartisan trackers as one of the most onerous ballot measure processes in the nation. That reputation comes almost entirely from the county-distribution rule, not the statewide signature count. Hitting 15% of turnout statewide is only step one. Sponsors also have to independently clear 15% in at least 16 of the state's 23 counties, each measured against that specific county's own vote total, meaning tiny rural counties can each become a bottleneck.

Because the threshold resets after every general election, a number that's accurate one cycle can be wrong the next. Always confirm the current worksheet before assuming last cycle's numbers still apply. Wyoming Supreme Court precedent also holds that petitions submitted before a general election get measured against the previous election's requirement, which can create timing mismatches worth understanding before you file.

Two gaps remain unconfirmed: whether a filing fee applies to submitting an initiative petition application, and whether Wyoming law imposes any single-subject requirement on initiatives the way many other states do. Neither was confirmed from a primary source in this research pass. Check the Secretary of State's official guidance directly. For anything Wyoming-specific this page doesn't answer, route to /engage.