2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-04841HB0173
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0173
Independent candidate requirements.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Haroldson, Angelos, Bear,
Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Filer, Geringer,
Hoeft, Johnson, Knapp, Lien, Locke, McCann,
Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, S,
Webb, Webber, Wharff and Winter and
Senator(s) Boner, Pearson, Smith, D and
Steinmetz
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to elections; requiring independent
2 candidates to swear that they are unaffiliated or not
3 registered with a major political party; revising the
4 number of signatures required for independent candidates to
5 appear on the general election ballot; revising the
6 deadline to file a petition as an independent candidate;
7 and providing for an effective date.
8
9
10
11W.S. 22-5-301(a), 22-5-304 and 22-5-307
12 are amended to read:
13 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04842HB01731
2
3 (a) Independent candidates for partisan public
4 offices may be nominated by filing a signed petition in
5 substantially the following form:
6
7 PETITION FOR NOMINATION
8
9 I, ...., swear or affirm that I was born on ....,
10 ....(year), that I have been a resident of the State of
11 Wyoming since ...., and that I am a registered voter of
12 Election District No. ...., in Precinct No. ...., County of
13 ...., residing at ...., (if for the office of state senator
14 or representative, commissioner or other district office)
15 in Senate (House) (Commissioner or other) District ....,
16 State of Wyoming, (if for the office of governor), that I
17
18 and that I resided at the physical
19 residential addresses listed below during the past five (5)
20 years, and having obtained the number of signatures
21 required by law for nomination by petition, I hereby
22 request that my name be printed on the official ballot at
23 the next general election as an independent candidate for 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04843HB0173
1 the office of .... and declare that if nominated and
2 elected, I will qualify for the office.
3
4 (If for the office of United States senator or
5 representative in congress) I have not, at any time when
6 knowingly seeking nomination or election to this office,
7 claimed or been currently claiming any residence or
8 received the benefits of residency from any other state,
9 excluding the benefits of residency related to or
10 incidental from maintaining a residence at or near the
11 United States capital.
12
13 (If for the office of governor) I have resided at the
14 following physical residential addresses during the past
15 five (5) years:
16
17 (Residence) (Date)
18
19 1. ................... ...................
20
21 2. ................... ...................
22
23 Dated the .... day of ...., ....(year). 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04844HB0173
1
2 ....................... (Signature)
3
4 The eligible, registered electors supporting my nomination,
5 and numbering not less than the number required under W.S.
6 22-5-304, are as follows:
7
8 (Signature) (Printed Name) (Residence) (Date)
9
10 1. ...................
11
12 2. ...................
13
14 VERIFICATION BY CIRCULATORS
15
16 I, ...., do hereby certify that I am a circulator of this
17 petition, and I solely and personally circulated this
18 petition, that all the signatures appearing herein were
19 made in my presence from .... (month) .... (day),
20 ....(year) through .... (month) .... (day), ....(year), and
21 to the best of my knowledge and belief such signatures are
22 those of the persons whose names they purport to be.
23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04845HB01731 ............... (Signature)
2
3
4
5
6 (a) For a statewide partisan office, a petition shall
7 be signed by registered electors, resident in the state and
8 eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering not less
9 than of the total number
10 of votes cast for representative in congress in the last
11 general election for the entire state.
12
13 (b) For a countywide partisan office, a petition
14 shall be signed by registered electors, resident in the
15 county and eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering
16 not less than of the
17 total number of votes cast for representative in congress
18 in the last general election for the entire county.
19
20 (c) For a district partisan election, a petition
21 shall be signed by registered electors, resident in the
22 district and eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering
23 not less than of the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04846HB0173
1 total number of votes cast for the office in that
2 particular district in the last general election. If a
3 district's boundaries have changed since the last general
4 election, then the required number of petition signatures
5 shall not be less than
6 of the number of
7
8
9.
10
11
12
13 Petitions filed with the secretary of state and with the
14 county clerk shall be filed not less than
15 before
16 general election year.
17
18. This act is effective July 1, 2025
19
20 (END)