First initiative certified for the ballot in Wyoming since 1996

By

Ballotpedia staff

Welcome to the Wednesday, Jan. 8, Brew. 

By: Briana Ryan

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. First initiative certified for the ballot in Wyoming since 1996
  2. An update on President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) presidential transition
  3. A look back at our most-listened to episodes of On the Ballot in 2024

First initiative certified for the ballot in Wyoming since 1996

On Jan. 2, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R) certified a citizen initiative regarding property taxes for the 2026 general election ballot. This certification marks the first time since 1996 that Wyoming voters will decide on a citizen initiative.

The initiative would exempt 50% of a primary residence’s assessed value from a homeowner’s property tax. According to the initiative’s sponsor, BCR Initiatives, if approved, “100,000 retired people on fixed incomes won’t lose their home because they can’t afford property tax. All the working people looking at buying a home will be able to afford their government rent (property tax).”

Wyoming Rep. Liz Storer (D) told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that the initiative could negatively affect K-12 education funding: “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.”

In Wyoming, the number of signatures required to qualify a citizen initiative for the ballot equals 15% of the total ballots cast in the previous general election. The sponsors needed to collect at least 29,730 valid signatures in this case. Gray found that the sponsors collected 30,251.

The last citizen initiative voters decided on was Initiative 1 in 1996, which voters defeated 54% to 46%. It would have called on the state’s congressional delegation, state legislators, and the governor to advocate for a U.S. constitutional amendment to establish term limits for Congress. It would have also required the secretary of state to place labels on ballots next to candidates’ names who did not “support every possible legislative action to promote term limits.”

Since Wyoming adopted the initiative process in 1968, eight initiatives have been certified for the ballot—three in 1992, three in 1994, and two in 1996. Voters approved the three in 1992 and defeated the other five in 1994 and 1996. Since 2010, sponsors filed six initiatives that failed to make the ballot.

According to the Initiative & Referendum Institute, certifying initiatives is “more difficult in Wyoming than other states, requiring not just a majority of votes cast on a measure, but also a majority of all ballots cast in the election (which effectively treats abstentions as votes against).”

Wyoming is one of 26 states where citizens can put measures directly on the ballot. Eighteen allow for initiated constitutional amendments, 21 allow for initiated state statutes, and two allow for veto referendums but not initiated statutes or initiated amendments.

Between 2010 and 2024, voters decided on 425 citizen initiatives in even-numbered years. So far, voters will decide on four other citizen initiatives in three other states—Massachusetts, Nevada, and Oklahoma—in 2026.

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An update on President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) presidential transition

With Inauguration Day just 12 days away, let’s recap where President-elect Donald Trump (R) is in the presidential transition process and what to expect in the coming days.

Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions

Between Nov. 7 and Dec. 4, Trump announced nominees for all 22 of the Senate-confirmed Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions in his second term, sooner than the past three presidents.

The confirmation process for these positions begins once Trump provides a written nomination to the U.S. Senate. The nominees undergo several rounds of investigation and review, which include submitting a personal financial disclosure report and a background check. The nominee is then evaluated in a committee hearing, which allows for a close examination of the nominee and their views on public policy. Hearings for nominees can begin before Inauguration Day.

According to Politico’s Hailey Fuchs, Meredith Lee Hill, and Nico Portuondo, the hearings for three nominees will take place before Inauguration Day.

Executive Orders

Incoming presidents may use the transition period to prepare executive orders. According to Hamline University’s David Schultz, the outgoing presidents may also use the transition period “to try to issue a bunch of executive orders to try to cement in their legacy.” 

According to The American Presidency Project, President Joe Biden (D) issued more executive orders and memorandums during his first 100 days than any president since President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D). 

The chart below shows the executive orders of the last four presidents during the first 100 days of their first term. The first column for each president displays the total number of executive orders issued by the president during the first 100 days of their term, the second column displays how many of these orders revoked pre-existing orders from the previous administration, and the final column displays the number of orders from the previous administration that were revoked.

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A look back at our most-listened to episodes of On the Ballot in 2024

Our weekly podcast, On the Ballot, will release its first episode of 2025 on Jan. 9. In the meantime, let’s take a look at our most-listened to episodes of 2024.

  1. Chevron Deference, Explained

    We unpack Chevron Deference‘s history, how the doctrine works, and the arguments for and against keeping it around. Following the U.S. Supreme Court‘s decision, we re-released the episode with a recap of the ruling.
  2. Marijuana ballot measures and the prospect of federally rescheduling the drug

    Staff Writer Nicole Fisher and Vanderbilt University’s Robert Mikos joined the show to discuss the initiatives on the ballot and the prospect of marijuana being federally rescheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
  3. Shortlist of tight Senate races with The Cook Report

    The Cook Political Report’s Jessica Taylor joined the show to run through toss-up Senate races and where those races could have shifted leading up to the general election.
  4. Trump v. Harris debate recap

    The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Julia Terruso joined the show to break down how each candidate fared, their message to voters in Pennsylvania, and what the scene inside the Spin Room was like after the debate. Staff Writer Ellen Morrissey joined in the second half of the episode to share some debate history, how long each candidate spoke for, the prospect of a second presidential debate, and previewing the Vice Presidential debate.
  5. How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and third parties will affect the ’24  presidential race

    University of Wisconsin’s Barry Burden joined the show to unpack the field of noteworthy minor party candidates, the various challenges to getting their names on the ballot, how major parties co-opt their platforms and policies, and how we ended up with a political system dominated by two parties.

To listen to these episodes and more, click on the link below.

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