The Secretary of State’s Office announced the results of the first submittal of petition signatures for the “People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner’s Property Exemption,” which was approved for circulation on October 13, 2023.
The Committee of Applicants’ first submittal yielded 28,700 accepted valid signatures in total, of 29,730 signatures required by law, based on the number of votes cast in the 2022 General Election.
Although the Committee’s first submittal did not achieve the total statewide signature requirements, it did exceed the threshold number of valid accepted signatures of 15% of those resident in at least two-thirds of the counties in the state.
The Committee has 18 months to circulate the petition, in which they will have an opportunity to correct errors or omissions on previously submitted petition packets which were set aside for insufficient verification, as well as the ability to submit additional signatures. The end of the petition circulation period is April 13, 2025. Based on historic trends, the number of signatures required will likely increase after the 2024 General Election.
“I want to commend the petition’s Committee of Applicants for all their hard work in exercising their Wyoming Constitutional right to enact laws by the initiative,” Secretary of State Chuck Gray said.
“Property tax reduction is a very important issue facing our state. The people’s right to propose and enact laws by initiative to address fundamental issues, such as property tax limits, is pivotal. Although the Committee’s first submittal was slightly short of the statewide requirement, there is still time to supplement the first submission.”
The letter to the Committee of Applicants outlining the results of the Secretary of State’s Office’s review and processing of the initiative can be found here.