Ready. Set. Participate.

In one month (Feb. 9) the Wyoming Legislature Budget Session gets underway in Cheyenne and in four months and a week (May 14) filing begins for the August primary.

The question is not whether you should be involved in these two events, but rather how will you be involved and to what extent. Bills for the upcoming session are being prefiled at this time. A look at the Wyoming Legislative Service website, http://www.wyoleg.gov, there are 29 House Bills and 3 House Joint Resolutions already filed. There are 34 Senate Files prefiled, along with two resolutions. These do not include the mirror image budget bills that will be the focus of the 20-day session.

There are bills that may be of interest to residents in the area, including a crossing clarification to attempt to clarify corner-crossing. There is also a bill to require school districts to allow homeschool children in grades 6-12 to participate in cocurricular and extracurricular activities.

This issue came up at both Worland and Ten Sleep school boards based on 2025 legislation.

Another education bill would allow for free and accessible education to all children, adding the language “including children attending school on a part-time basis” to the current statute.

The Wyoming Legislature is one place where people can have a say but to have your say it is important to be informed. The wyoleg.gov website provides all the information you need to follow the Legislature, including links to livestreams during debates, contacts of all legislators.

Every session we ask our local legislators what comments they are hearing from the constituents and often times on certain issues they receive few or no comments. Your voice does matter.

It is also important to follow the legislative session to know how your local legislators are voting on issues that are important to you. All House of Representatives will be up for election this year, as they are every two years. This year all the odd-numbered Senate district seats will be up/

This brings us to that filing period I mentioned earlier. If you have thought about getting involved in local or state government, now is the time to begin some research.

There will be Worland City Council seats up this year. There are Ten Sleep Council seats up as well (that election happens in May with the filing period beginning soon). There will be county seats open. In November, with a filing period in August, you may consider running for a special district such as school board.

If you are thinking about running I encourage you to be involved now by attending regular meetings, finding out how the council, boards, county offices, Legislature or state offices operate, finding out what the council or board members do and how much time is involved.

If you are interested in the Legislature or state office, consider watching the livestreams or check out past meetings available on the Legislative YouTube channel.

If you become informed now, you can make an informed decision later on whether to seek office or how best you can be involved in decisions that impact you and your neighbor.

Perhaps running for office is not how you are meant to be involved. With this year’s election, your vote matters. If you are not registered, make sure you register to vote ahead of the primary election. You may contact the county clerk’s office or Wyoming Secretary of State’s office or websites for information on becoming registered.

You must declare or change party affiliation by May 13 prior to the Primary Election. Early new voter registration ends Aug. 3. New voters may register the day of the election, Aug. 18.

So, no matter how you participate this year, let’s make 2026 the year of being informed.