A ballot initiative that would cut Wyoming property taxes in half has almost enough signatures to get on the ballot for the 2026 election.

The initiative would slash 50 percent of residential property taxes for homeowners who’ve lived in the state for at least a year.

The Secretary of State’s office released a review of the initiative’s 28,700 signatures gathered across Wyoming, finding that it still needs over a thousand more.

Cheryl Aguiar, a retiree who lives in Thermopolis, helped spearhead the effort to create the measure and collect signatures. She said most people she encountered were enthusiastic about signing.

“One little lady, they had to stand around her,” said Aguiar. “It was blizzarding on her, but she wanted to sign that.”

Aguiar added she’s hopeful she and other petition circulators will be able to get the additional signatures before the general election on Nov. 5.

“It's not fair that the people who pay property taxes have to be the ones that bear all the brunt of our economy,” she said. “Right? Everybody should bear the brunt of our economy.”

If the circulators don’t get the needed signatures before November, the number of signatures required to be on the ballot will likely go up after the election.

That’s because the threshold to make it on the ballot is based on a percentage of the total votes cast in the most recent state elections.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, historical voter trends indicate after the general election, the signature requirement will go up.

This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.