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HB 179: NEW POLITICAL PARTIES - FORMATION REQUIREMENTS - 1997 General Session
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Massie (D-H13, Laramie); co-sponsors Rep. Cale Case (R-H54, Lander), Rep. Ross Diercks (D-H2, Lusk), Rep. Randall Luthi (R-H21, Freedom)
Wyoming statutes require that anyone wishing to place a new political party on the ballot (i.e., something other than Republicans or Democrats) has to collect the signatures of 8,000 registered voters.
In addition, these signatures have to be collected in a specific time frame - May 1 of the year preceding the election to May 1 of the general election year in which the new party seeks to get on the ballot.
HB 179 proposed extending the time to collect signatures from April 1 of the preceding year to June 1 of the general election year, and lowering the signature requirement to 5,000 registered voters.
Proponents of the bill argued that Wyoming’s requirement for new parties to get on the ballot was by far the toughest of any state, and that the political arena should be open and accessible.
Opponents of the bill felt that it should be difficult for new parties to get on the ballot, or else the ballot would soon be crowded with "irresponsible" parties.
The bill passed the House, 40-19 (1 excused), but foundered in the Senate’s Committee of the Whole (the first opportunity for full floor debate), 12-18.
The concept of HB 179 was subsequently enacted in the Election Code Revisions of 1998 (SF 33), which lowered the signature requirement for new parties petitioning onto the ballot to 2% of the number of votes cast in the race for U.S. Congress in the preceding general election.
The votes listed below are the third reading (final passage) votes on HB 179 in the House and Senate.
A YES vote means the legislator favored making it easier for new political parties to get on the ballot.
A NO vote means the legislator opposed such a change.
|
BIG HORN BASIN LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S18 |
Sen. Hank Coe (R) |
No |
|
H24 |
Rep. Peg Shreve (R) |
No |
|
H50 |
Rep. Pat Childers (R) |
No |
|
S19 |
Sen. Carroll Miller (R) |
Yes |
|
H25 |
Rep. Denny Smith (R) |
No |
|
H26 |
Rep. Chas. Hessenthaler (R) |
Yes |
|
S20 |
Sen. Gerald Geis (R) |
No |
|
H27 |
Rep. Ray Harrison (R) |
No |
|
H28 |
Rep. Mike Baker (R) |
No |
|
CASPER-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S27 |
Sen. Gail Zimmerman (R) |
No |
|
H35 |
Rep. Dorothy Perkins (R) |
Yes |
|
H36 |
Rep. Bruce Hinchey (R) |
No |
|
S28 |
Sen. Keith Goodenough (D) |
Yes |
|
H56 |
Rep. Pat Nagel (R) |
Yes |
|
H57 |
Rep. Bob Tanner (R) |
Yes |
|
S29 |
Sen. Bill Hawks (R) |
No |
|
H37 |
Rep. Rick Tempest (R) |
Yes |
|
H59 |
Rep. Nancy Berry (D) |
Yes |
|
S30 |
Sen. Charles Scott (R) |
Yes |
|
H38 |
Rep. Carolyn Paseneaux (R) |
No |
|
H58 |
Rep. Ann Robinson (D) |
Excused |
|
CHEYENNE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S4 |
Sen. April Brimmer Kunz (R) |
No |
|
H7 |
Rep. Tony Ross (R) |
Yes |
|
H41 |
Rep. Mac McGraw (D) |
Yes |
|
S5 |
Sen. Donald Lawler (R) |
Yes |
|
H8 |
Rep. Larry Meuli (R) |
Yes |
|
H42 |
Rep. John Hanes (R) |
Yes |
|
S6 |
Sen. Rich Cathcart (D) |
No |
|
H9 |
Rep. Wayne Johnson (R) |
Yes |
|
H10 |
Rep. Pete Anderson (R) |
No |
|
S7 |
Sen. Guy Cameron (D) |
Yes |
|
H11 |
Rep. Wayne Reese (D) |
Yes |
|
H43 |
Rep. Kathryn Sessions (D) |
Yes |
|
S8 |
Sen. Jayne Mockler (D) |
No |
|
H12 |
Rep. Leo Garcia (D) |
Yes |
|
H44 |
Rep. Floyd Esquibel (D) |
Yes |
|
GILLETTE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S23 |
Sen. Larry Gilbertz (R) |
No |
|
H31 |
Rep. John Hines (R) |
No |
|
H52 |
Rep. George McMurtrey (R) |
No |
|
S24 |
Sen. Dick Erb (R) |
No |
|
H32 |
Rep. Jeff Wasserburger (R) |
Yes |
|
H53 |
Rep. Nick Deegan (D) |
Yes |
|
LANDER/RIVERTON-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S25 |
Sen. John Vinich (D) |
Yes |
|
H33 |
Rep. Harry Tipton (R) |
Yes |
|
H54 |
Rep. Cale Case (R) |
Yes |
|
S26 |
Sen. Bob Peck (R) |
No |
|
H34 |
Rep. Frank Philp (R) |
No |
|
H55 |
Rep. Eli Bebout (R) |
No |
|
NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S1 |
Sen. Bill Barton (R) |
Yes |
|
H1 |
Rep. Marlene Simons (R) |
No |
|
H2 |
Rep. Ross Diercks (D) |
Yes |
|
S2 |
Sen. Jim Twiford (R) |
No |
|
H5 |
Rep. Jim Hageman (R) |
Yes |
|
H6 |
Rep. Jim Anderson (R) |
Yes |
|
S3 |
Sen. Curt Meier (R) |
No |
|
H3 |
Rep. Bill Stafford (R) |
No |
|
H4 |
Rep. Roger Huckfeldt (R) |
No |
|
SHERIDAN-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S21 |
Sen. Tom Kinnison (R) |
Yes |
|
H29 |
Rep. Rick Badgett (R) |
Yes |
|
H51 |
Rep. Bruce Burns (R) |
Yes |
|
S22 |
Sen. John Schiffer (R) |
No |
|
H30 |
Rep. Bill Bensel (D) |
Yes |
|
H40 |
Rep. Douglas Osborn (R) |
Yes |
|
SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S9 |
Sen. Vince Picard (R) |
No |
|
H13 |
Rep. Mike Massie (D) |
Yes |
|
H45 |
Rep. Wende Barker (D) |
Yes |
|
S10 |
Sen. Irene Devin (R) |
No |
|
H14 |
Rep. Phil Nicholas (R) |
Yes |
|
H46 |
Rep. Tom Rardin (R) |
No |
|
S11 |
Sen. Bob Grieve (R) |
No |
|
H15 |
Rep. Tony Rose (R) |
Yes |
|
H47 |
Rep. Teense Willford (R) |
No |
|
SOUTHWEST WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S12 |
Sen. Rae Lynn Job (D) |
Yes |
|
H16 |
Rep. Kenilynn Zanetti (D) |
Yes |
|
H48 |
Rep. Jack Steinbrech (R) |
No |
|
S13 |
Sen. Ray Sarcletti (D) |
Yes |
|
H17 |
Rep. Fred Parady (R) |
Yes |
|
H60 |
Rep. Louise Ryckman (D) |
Yes |
|
S14 |
Sen. Mark Harris (D) |
Yes |
|
H18 |
Rep. John Eyre (R) |
No |
|
H39 |
Rep. Chris Boswell (D) |
Yes |
|
S15 |
Sen. Greg Phillips (D) |
Yes |
|
H19 |
Rep. Wayne Morrow (D) |
Yes |
|
H49 |
Rep. Ken Decaria (D) |
Yes |
|
WEST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S16 |
Sen. Delaine Roberts (R) |
No |
|
H20 |
Rep. Louie Tomassi (R) |
Yes |
|
H21 |
Rep. Randall Luthi (R) |
Yes |
|
S17 |
Sen. Grant Larson (R) |
No |
|
H22 |
Rep. Budd Betts (R) |
Yes |
|
H23 |
Rep. Clarene Law (R) |
Yes |
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