Albany County tests vote-center model in special election, plans wider use

Albany County voters faced a countywide choice on May 5, but not a precinct-by-precinct one. The county tested its vote-center model in the special election and, for anyone who showed up expecting an absentee polling site inside the election building, the new setup mattered immediately: there was none.

Instead, residents could vote at any of five sites, regardless of district or precinct, with DS200 tabulators in place at each location. The county centers were the Albany County Fairgrounds at 3520 US Hwy 287 in Laramie, Albany County Public Library at 310 S. 8th Street, Laramie Ice & Events Center at 3510 E. Garfield Street, Municipal Operations Center at 4373 N. 3rd Street, and Rock River Town Hall at 321 Avenue D in Rock River. All five were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Albany County commissioners adopted the plan in Resolution 2026-005 on Feb. 17, after the county clerk recommended the vote centers that day. The resolution said voters could cast ballots at any of the listed sites, no matter their assigned precinct, and it confirmed there would be no absentee polling location for the special election. For people who wanted to vote in person without using a vote center, the county directed them to courthouse tables and the secure drop box in the Albany County Clerk’s Election Office in Room 202.

The special election centered on a 1% specific purpose sales and use excise tax, better known locally as the sixth-penny tax. County leaders said the proposal sought to raise $95 million over roughly 10 to 12 years for projects including a new fire station, road and stormwater work, a new county administration building, airport upgrades and other needs. Wyoming Public Media reported the average household cost would be about $16 a month. Albany County last approved a sixth-penny SPET in 2018, when voters backed nearly $66 million.

The county’s move reflects a broader shift away from old precinct lines and toward a countywide system meant to make Election Day easier for residents who live far from their home precinct, work unusual hours or simply need the closest open site. It also showed how the county intends to run the rest of 2026, with the same model already planned for the August primary and November general election. The county had set April 20 as the last day to register for the special election, and the clerk’s office remained the chief election office at the county level under Wyoming law.