Wyoming House Bill HB0158

Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

• Failed: 2/3/25

Caption

Legislature-electronic voting system.

Summary

HB0158 would appropriate $250,000 from the general fund to the Legislative Service Office to plan, design, purchase, and install an electronic voting system for the Wyoming House and Senate chambers at the state capitol. The system would place voting devices at legislators’ desks or on the chamber floor, electronically tabulate votes, and display vote results in the chamber, on the legislature’s website, and on its streaming platform. The bill also requires security features intended to ensure that votes are cast by the correct legislator, and it allows the system to include additional functions only if those features can be added without exceeding the appropriation. The system must be developed under the direction of the Legislative Service Office and integrated with existing legislative software. Any unused funds would revert on June 30, 2026, and the appropriation is capped as a maximum amount rather than a guaranteed entitlement.

Impact

If enacted, HB0158 would create a new state-funded legislative technology project and direct a one-time appropriation to the Legislative Service Office for chamber voting equipment and related installation. It would not amend substantive public-facing statutes outside the legislative process, but it would affect how the Wyoming Legislature conducts roll-call voting, records votes, and publishes vote information to the public. The bill also establishes spending restrictions, a reversion date for unspent funds, and implementation requirements tied to chamber operations and legislative IT systems.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the available record suggests a generally practical, modernization-oriented purpose rather than a controversial policy change. The broad bipartisan sponsorship indicates support across both chambers and parties for updating legislative voting procedures and improving public visibility of votes. No formal opposition, amendments, or recorded dissent are included in the provided context.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are cost, implementation, and security. The $250,000 appropriation may prompt questions about whether the amount is sufficient or excessive for planning, purchase, and installation, while the requirement that the system integrate with existing legislative software could raise technical concerns. The bill’s security language also reflects an underlying concern about vote integrity and unauthorized casting, and the optional “other functions” provision is limited by available funding, suggesting a desire to avoid scope creep.