Proposition · every Wyoming voter

Proposition 1Cut the property tax on a home you live in by taking half of the house's value off the tax bill

Citizen initiative (state law): Proposed Initiative Proposition Number One, placed on the ballot by voters who signed petitions (People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner’s Property Exemption). Passes with a majority of those voting in the General Election.

Read the full text of the measure: Secretary of State statewide ballot propositions file (PDF, with the full text of the proposed law)

In plain words

The ballot language says this would give qualified homeowners a property tax exemption on their primary residence: 50% of the assessed value of the dwelling. (Assessed value is the value the county uses to figure your property tax.) You would apply once with a sworn claim to the county assessor, then confirm every year that you still qualify. Voters pick FOR or AGAINST. (sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State) )

Before and after

Question	Today	If it passes
Tax on the home you live in	Existing relief applies: a 25% homeowners exemption on the first $1 million of eligible dwelling and associated land value, and separate 50% relief for qualifying long-term homeowners (Park County assessor , Wyoming Department of Revenue ). Their qualifications differ from this proposal.	Half of the home’s assessed value is exempt, so tax is figured on the other half
The land under the home	Taxed	The ballot says the exemption applies to the residential structure, so the land is taxed as now
Who qualifies	No such exemption	A homeowner who has lived in Wyoming at least one year and lived in the home at least six months of the previous tax year
How you get it	No such exemption	A sworn claim to the county assessor by the fourth Monday in May; in later years you confirm each year by that date (phone, mail or other); a false claim is punishable under W.S. 6-5-303
How many exemptions	No such exemption	No more than one per property and one per owner each year
Cost to the state (state only)	No such cost	$92,614,266 less revenue in fiscal year 2028; $95,855,766 less in fiscal year 2029

Numbers from the official ballot title (ballot title ); also see (sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State) )

Biggest change

Half (50%) of the assessed value of a qualified owner’s primary residence would be exempt from property tax. source: sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State)
The ballot says the exemption applies to the residential structure, not the land. source: sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State)
A homeowner files a sworn claim with the county assessor by the fourth Monday in May, then confirms every year; one exemption per property and per owner. source: sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State)
The state estimates it would collect about $92.6 million less in fiscal year 2028 and $95.9 million less in 2029. The estimate leaves out local governments. source: sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State)

Who it affects most: Owners who live in their own home in Wyoming and apply for it. “Homeowner” also covers a buyer living in the home under a contract of sale, and a shareholder, partner or relative of the owners of a farm or ranch business that owns the home. Renters, and owners of homes they do not live in, are not covered by the wording. The state’s cost note leaves out the effect on political subdivisions (such as counties, cities and school districts) and gives no number for them.

Cost to the state: The Secretary of State’s estimate is that the state would take in $92,614,266 less in fiscal year 2028 and $95,855,766 less in fiscal year 2029. It is for the State of Wyoming only and “does not include an estimate of any impact upon political subdivisions”. The file says that if voters pass it in 2026 the earliest tax year affected would be 2027, with the effect on the state starting in 2028, and that future impacts depend on unpredictable economic conditions. The estimate uses 2023 Department of Revenue data and 3.5% yearly growth.

Our plain-words summary. Every line points to its source.

What your vote means

YES

Qualified owners who live in their home get half of its assessed value taken off for property tax (the land is still taxed). The state estimates it would collect about $92.6 million less in 2028, not counting local governments.

No new homeowner exemption of this kind; property is taxed as it is now.

Our one-line summary. Wyoming does not publish an official "what your vote means" statement; the ballot title above is the official description.

Why people want it, and why others object

Why this is on the ballot

Voters put this on the ballot by signing a petition. It passes with a majority of those voting in the General Election.

The ballot asks “Shall a law be enacted” and the text of the proposal begins “Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Wyoming”, so this is a proposed state law brought by voters, not a change to the constitution. source: sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State)
For the 2026 ballot, the Secretary of State’s Key Election Dates file lists an initiative filing deadline of February 6, 2026 and 40,669 signatures required. source: sos.wyo.gov (Wyoming Secretary of State)
Brent Bien, Rich Weber and Cheryl Aguiar organized the petition under the name BCR Initiatives. Bien has said the Legislature had not passed enough property tax relief. (News report, not re-opened.) source: jhnewsandguide.com

Why supporters want it

Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Bryan Miller: "Wyoming homeowners deserve meaningful, durable property-tax relief." The party says it will help promote the initiative. source: wyofile.com
Becky Cloetta, a Teton County retiree who championed the petition, says retirees on fixed incomes may leave Wyoming if taxes stay high. source: wyofile.com
Teton County Assessor Mel Shinkle said it would work as a "reset button" for Teton County, where home values rose sharply after 2020. source: wyofile.com
Initiative leader Brent Bien: "Given all the money that we have in this state, something is not adding up here." source: gillettenewsrecord.com

Why opponents object

Hank Hoversland of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association: the campaign wants "to remind people that property taxes pay for services." source: gillettenewsrecord.com
The Vote No on Prop 1 coalition says further property tax cuts will harm services such as ambulances, schools and snow plows. Its group says Wyoming could lose $1.4 billion over 10 years. source: wyofile.com
Jerimiah Rieman of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association warned that special districts that rely almost entirely on property taxes would be strained most, including fire and ambulance services. Rieman said other counties are already back to 2018 revenue levels because of earlier relief. source: wyofile.com
Governor candidate Eric Barlow (Republican) said at a Jackson event: "It will truly harm communities." source: wyofile.com

Who backs each side

For: BCR Initiatives (Brent Bien, Rich Weber, Cheryl Aguiar), which had raised and spent under $5,000 according to filings, and the Wyoming Republican Party, which says it will give financial and marketing support. Against: the political action committee VOTE NO ON PROP 1, with the Wyoming Education Association, Wyoming Hospital Association, Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, Wyoming Taxpayers Association, Wyoming County Commissioners Association and Wyoming Realtors. Organizers say it has nearly $1 million; filings show $405,000 from the National Education Association. source: wyofile.com

In each side's own words where we could find them, quoted or summarized with a link to the source. We don't endorse either side.

INCOMPLETE. Not yet checked on this page: (1) The quotes, background and campaign-money lines under “Why people want it” and “Who backs each side” come from WyoFile, the Gillette News Record and the Jackson Hole News&Guide, read earlier through summaries and not re-opened. (2) The opposition’s figure “$1.4 billion over 10 years” is theirs; we have not checked it. The Secretary of State’s official estimate covers the state only, for 2028 ($92,614,266) and 2029 ($95,855,766). No claim check has been done. (3) We have not found an official statement of whether the Legislature can later change a law passed this way, so this page does not say. (4) The Voter’s Guide says propositions pass with “a majority of those voting in the General Election”. The Secretary of State FAQ (How does a constitutional amendment pass?) applies the majority-of-all-ballots-cast rule to initiatives and referendums, so skipping the question has the same effect on the passage threshold as voting AGAINST. (5) The “Today” column now names the existing 25% homeowners exemption and the long-term homeowners 50% relief (Park County assessor and Wyoming Department of Revenue pages, retrieved October 16, 2026). Whether they would stack with this proposal is not established here, so no net household savings are claimed.

What you will see on your ballot

Official ballot wording, word for word (tap to open)

The official ballot title, word for word from the Secretary of State's official statewide ballot propositions file .

Shall a law be enacted:

Establishing a property tax exemption for qualified homeowners’ primary residence in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the assessed value of the dwelling; AND

Defining “homeowner” and “primary residence”; providing that no more than one exemption shall apply to a single property or be claimed by a single owner per year; requiring a homeowner to be a resident of Wyoming for at least one year and to have occupied the primary residence for at least six months of the previous tax year to qualify; requiring an initial sworn claim to be filed with the county assessor by the fourth Monday in May; providing for continuing the exemption in subsequent years through annually confirming eligibility; providing a penalty for false claims; clarifying that the exemption applies to the residential structure; and specifying applicability?

Estimated Fiscal Impact:

Anticipated Revenue / (decrease)

Fiscal Year 2028 ($92,614,266)
Fiscal Year 2029 ($95,855,766)

The above estimate is based on residential property assessed value and property tax data from the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system provided by the Department of Revenue in 2023. The future fiscal impact estimates are derived by using the January 2023 Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) report, estimating annual growth of 3.5% for properties in the future years. This is an estimate of fiscal impact to the State of Wyoming only and does not include an estimate of any impact upon political subdivisions. The proposition references a beginning in 2025, but if passed in 2026 the earliest applicable tax year would be 2027, with impact to the state beginning in 2028. Fiscal impact will apply to each year so long as the exemption is in place. Future impacts depend on unpredictable economic conditions.

FOR
AGAINST

Word for word from the ballot language in the Secretary of State’s statewide ballot propositions file (the same text is on page 3 of the 2026 Voter’s Guide; the build checks the two match). The FOR / AGAINST choices are as printed there.

Latest news

Recent reporting from a range of outlets, newest first. We link to it; we don't endorse it.

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Full text of the measure

The Secretary of State’s file prints the ballot language and then the full text of the People’s Initiative, a four-page bill. Read it in the Secretary of State statewide ballot propositions file (PDF, with the full text of the proposed law) .

We link to analysis from several sources; we don't endorse it.