Campaign finance requirements in Wyoming
 in Wyoming |
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Federal campaign finance laws and regulations |
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| Campaign finance reform |
| History of campaign finance reform |
| State by state comparison of campaign finance reporting requirements |
| Election policy |
| State information |
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates and campaigns may receive from individuals and organizations, how they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political parties may contribute to campaigns. In addition to direct campaign contributions, campaign finance laws also apply to third-party organizations and nonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections through independent expenditures or issue advocacy.
This page provides background on campaign finance regulation, lists contribution limits to state candidates and ballot measures in Wyoming, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Wyoming with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Wyoming.
The information on this page pertains to candidates for state office and state ballot measures. Candidates for federal office are subject to federal campaign finance law. Candidates for local office are subject to all applicable state laws as well as any separate local campaign finance regulations.[1]
Background
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign election laws. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions, and overseeing public funding of presidential elections.[2] According to the FEC, an individual becomes a federal candidate and must begin reporting campaign finances once he or she has either raised or spent $5,000 in his or her campaign. Within 15 days of this benchmark, the candidate must register with the FEC and designate an official campaign committee, which is responsible for the funds and expenditures of the campaign. This committee must have an official treasurer and cannot support any candidate but the one who registered it. Detailed financial reports are then made to the FEC every financial quarter after the individual is registered. Reports are also made before primaries and before the general election.[3]
The Supreme Court of the United States has issued a number of rulings pertaining to federal election campaign finance regulations. In the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited. The court's decision also overturned the ban on for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and unions broadcasting electioneering communications in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before a general election.[4] In the SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission decision, the first application of the Citizens United decision, the court held that contribution limits on what individuals could give to independent expenditure-only groups, and the amount these organizations could receive, were unconstitutional. Contribution limits on donations directly to candidates, however, remained unchanged.[5][6] In 2014's McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court overturned biennial aggregate campaign contribution limits, and held that individuals may contribute to as many federal candidates as they want, but may only contribute up to the federal limit in each case.[7]
While the FEC governs federal election campaigns and contribution limits, individual states enforce their own regulation and reporting requirements. Regulations vary by state, as do limits on campaign contributions and third-party activities to influence elections. Candidates for local office must follow any applicable state and local campaign finance regulations.
Contribution limits
The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Wyoming as of August 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | PACs | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Candidate (incl. Governor) | $2,500 | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Senate | $1,500 | $5,000 | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| House | $1,500 | $5,000 | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| PAC | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Party committees | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Ballot measures | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | |||
| Limits apply per election. | |||||||||
| Sources: Wyoming Secretary of State, "2024 Campaign Guide," accessed August 18, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Title 22-25 of the Wyoming Election Code
A candidate seeking to collect contributions and make expenditures for the purpose of an election must form a candidate campaign committee. The candidate must file a statement of formation within 10 days of filing for office. This statement is required when any candidate's campaign committee is formed, whether before an election to aid in the campaign or formed after an election to defray campaign debts incurred. The committee must also include a chairman and treasurer, who must be separate individuals. Campaign finance reports must be filed electronically through the Wyoming Campaign Finance Information System.[9]
For candidates seeking state office, the statement of formation must be filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State and contain the following:[9]
- the name and mailing address of the committee;
- the name and address of the committee chairman and treasurer;
- the date the committee was formed; and
- the purpose of the committee.
Statutory filing dates
After formation of a campaign committee, the candidate is required to file campaign finance reports throughout the election year.[10][11]
- Every candidate must file a fully itemized statement of receipts and expenditures at least seven days but not more than 14 days before any primary, general, or special election.
- Every candidate must file a fully itemized statement of receipts and expenditures within 10 days after any general or special election.
- Every candidate in any primary election must file a fully itemized statement of receipts and expenditures within 10 days after the primary election.
Campaign finance reports
Campaign finance statements must set forth the full and complete record of receipts, including cash, goods, or services. A statement must also include a fully itemized statement of expenditures, including actual and promised expenditures. Receipts that exceed the $100 threshold must be itemized.[10]
A candidate or committee must continue to make the reports until the campaign committee terminates and the candidate or committee files a statement of termination with the Wyoming Secretary of State. A statement of termination may be filed upon retirement of all debts.[10]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Wyoming's current legislative session.[12]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 4 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Wyoming Special Session, Constitutional Amendment B (2002)
- Wyoming Suffrage Not Based on Mental Status, Amendment B (1996)
- Wyoming Legislature Appointments and Elections, Amendment 3 (1972)
- Wyoming Qualifications of Electors, Amendment 2 (1970)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Wyoming can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Wyoming County Clerks
Wyoming Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Herschler Building East
- 122 West 25th Street, Suite 100
- Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002-0020
- Phone: 307-777-5860
- Email: elections@wyo.gov
- Website: http://soswy.state.wy.us/elections/
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- 1050 First Street, NE
- Washington, DC 20463
- Telephone: (202)-694-1100
- Toll-free: 1-800-424-9530
- Email: info@fec.gov
- Website: http://www.fec.gov/
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wyoming campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Campaign Finance Enforcement," accessed May 28, 2025
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "About the FEC," accessed June 27, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate Registration Brochure," accessed December 7, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit," January 21, 2010
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Speechnow.org v. FEC," April 7, 2014
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Two Federal Court Rulings Could Change Campaign Finance Landscape," March 26, 2010
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ongoing Litigation," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits on Contributions to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed May 8, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-25-101," accessed August 18, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-25-106," accessed August 18, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "2024 Campaign Guide," accessed August 18, 2025
- ↑ Bills are organized by most recent action. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
