Six of Seven Election Reform Bills Fail in Wyoming House, Dealing Blow to Freedom Caucus Priority

The Wyoming House of Representatives rejected six of seven election integrity bills on Monday, the opening day of the 2026 legislative session, as a coalition of Republicans and Democrats denied the supermajority required to introduce non-budget legislation. The defeats mark a significant setback for the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which has made election reform a cornerstone issue since securing control of the House in the 2024 election.

The failed measures covered a range of proposals, including requirements for hand-marked paper ballots, a ban on ballot drop boxes, restrictions on ballot harvesting, expansion of poll watcher access, and random hand-count audits. Each bill drew between 36 and 39 votes—enough to advance in a general session, but short of the two-thirds threshold needed during the current budget session.

Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, attributed the losses to “liberal Republicans and Democrats” and “leftists.” In a statement, the caucus blamed “RINOs and Dems” for blocking the legislation.

Some of the most forceful opposition came from within the Republican caucus. Rep. Lee Filer, R-Cheyenne, spoke against three of the bills, raising pointed practical objections. On the poll watcher expansion, he argued the bill’s language would allow observers to “literally get in the booth with you,” creating an atmosphere of voter intimidation. “I don’t think it’s anybody’s business who I vote for,” Filer said. “The people in Wyoming don’t need this.”

Filer and Rep. JD Williams, also R-Cheyenne, also questioned exemptions in the ballot harvesting ban that they said could create unintended loopholes for fraud or enforcement confusion.

The sole election bill to survive was House Bill 52, which permits hand-counting of ballots during recounts as an additional verification layer alongside machine tabulation. Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, emphasized the bill was developed in consultation with county clerks and had passed the House with broad support in 2025 before stalling in the Senate. No one spoke against it.

Three narrower election measures—HB 84, HB 85, and HB 86—passed earlier in the day without debate via the consent list, addressing falsification of election documents, post-election audit procedures, and removal of county officers for code violations. The mixed outcomes suggest House members are willing to support accountability and anti-fraud measures, but remain resistant to proposals that restrict voter access or alter how ballots are cast.