Wyoming voters will cast their votes in the November 3, 2026, election on a proposed ballot initiative that seeks to create a property tax exemption for homeowners, Ballotpedia News reports.
This marks the first citizen-driven ballot initiative to appear on Wyoming’s statewide ballot since 1996.
The proposed measure would exempt 50% of a primary residence’s assessed value from property taxes. To qualify, homeowners must have lived in Wyoming for at least one year and in their primary residence for at least six months during the previous tax year. The exemption would apply to houses, mobile homes, trailer homes, and other residential properties. It also extends to properties owned by farming or ranching business entities if used as a primary residence by one of the entity’s partners, shareholders, or their relatives.
Wyoming Revenue Department Director Brenda Henson estimated that approximately 173,000 residential properties could benefit from the exemption based on current census data. However, the initiative does not include provisions for reimbursing local governments for potential revenue losses, a point of contention for critics.
State Rep. Liz Storer (D-23) expressed concerns that the measure could negatively impact state funding for education, stating:
“This initiative will help rich people the most at the expense of Wyoming’s kids and its communities. There’s a better way to provide meaningful tax relief to those who really need it.”
Proponents of the measure, led by BCR Initiatives, counter that the initiative will provide essential relief to struggling homeowners, particularly retirees on fixed incomes. BCR Initiatives also criticized state spending, arguing that Wyoming has significant reserves and that funds are often misallocated to projects like wind energy and carbon capture.
The initiative was filed in 2023, with proponents required to gather 29,730 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray certified the initiative on January 3, 2025, after supporters submitted 30,251 valid signatures.
This is the first time in three decades that an initiative will appear on the ballot in Wyoming. The last citizen initiatives, in 1996, were both defeated, partly due to Wyoming’s unique requirement that initiatives must gain a majority of all ballots cast in the election, including those left blank on the measure.
Since Wyoming voters gained the power of initiative and referendum in 1968, eight citizen initiatives have appeared on statewide ballots. Of these, five were defeated and three were approved.
