Wyoming voters would choose selected county officials without party labels

Candidates for the listed offices would run through nonpartisan primaries, meaning elections without party labels. Covered offices would include county clerk, treasurer, assessor, coroner, sheriff, county and prosecuting attorney, district attorney, and district court clerk. County commissioners would remain on partisan ballots. The candidates receiving the most primary votes would advance, with two candidates for each seat being filled. Write-in candidates would need at least 25 primary votes to have their names printed on the general election ballot. The proposal specified July 1, 2026, as its effective date, but it failed introduction and did not take effect.

County commissioners would advertise covered vacancies, accept applications, and appoint a qualified applicant. The application process would cover county elected offices, except vacancies governed by W.S. 18-3-524. It would apply regardless of the departing official's party. Commissioners would publish notice in a county newspaper and on the county website. Qualified applicants would have 15 days after publication to apply. The separate vacancy rule referenced in W.S. 18-3-524 would remain an exception. If commissioners missed the deadline, a qualified resident could petition the district court. The judge would appoint a qualified resident without a requirement to match the former official's party. Commissioners would appoint someone within 20 days after publishing notice. A judge would fill the vacancy within 30 days after a petition was filed.

Election officials would place the listed county offices on nonpartisan ballots and follow the stated general election ballot format. These rules would govern the placement of the listed county offices and the format of nonpartisan general election ballots. Each office would have its own candidate group and spaces for write-in votes equal to the number of seats being filled. Judicial retention votes, which ask whether a judge should stay in office, would use questions rather than write-in spaces.