CASPER, Wyo. — A coalition opposing Wyoming’s lone November ballot initiative is demanding records from Secretary of State Chuck Gray, alleging the certified ballot language hides the true cost of the proposed homeowner property tax exemptions. Gray says the coalition has it wrong.
Attorney Elizabeth Lance of Lance & Hall LLP sent Gray a June 23 letter on behalf of the Vote NO on Initiative #1 coalition, citing the Wyoming Public Records Act and requesting communications between the Secretary of State’s office and other state agencies over how the ballot language and its fiscal impact estimate were drafted.
“There’s some confusion on our side as to what the actual impact would be,” said Cory Cronin, executive director of Wyoming Voter Network.
The estimate has shifted from a $137 million revenue loss to the state in 2026 and $142 million in 2027, projected in October 2023, to $92.6 million in fiscal year 2028 and $95.9 million in fiscal year 2029 in the language now certified for the ballot.
“We’re just wanting to, for transparency, clarity, honesty in front of the voters, have a better picture as to what the true impacts are,” Cronin said.
Gray rejected the letter’s claims outright.
Gray told Oil City News that state law requires the fiscal impact estimate to be finalized before petition circulation begins, per Wyoming statute 22-24-309.
“Circulation for this initiative started in 2023,” he said. “There is no legal mechanism to revise the estimate after that point.”
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