KGAB Poll Asks Laramie Residents to Name City's Biggest Problem in 2026

KGAB AM 650, the Cheyenne-based news-talk station serving southeast Wyoming, published an interactive online poll asking Laramie-area residents to weigh in on what they consider the single biggest problem facing the city in 2026. With a state legislative session already generating significant controversy and an election year adding urgency to local debates, the station put the question directly to residents: "What is the biggest issue facing Laramie? Take our poll and give us your opinion!"

The poll spans a wide range of contested policy terrain. Gun rights lead the list of prompts, and the backdrop is hard to ignore: similar legislation was passed in 2024 but vetoed by Governor Mark Gordon, and a third effort in 2025 was allowed to go into law without Gordon's signature. The Wyoming Repeal Gun Free Zones Act, known as HB 172, allows concealed carry permit holders to bring firearms into areas that were previously off-limits, including public schools, certain airport sections, community colleges, state agencies, the University of Wyoming, and legislative meetings.

Property taxes rank among the other flashpoint issues the station highlighted. High residential property taxes generated significant discussion in 2024 and are expected to remain a central topic in the current legislative session, with several related bills already introduced or anticipated. The station also frames state spending as an intertwined concern, noting that some residents believe government wastes money and that it is time to "trim the fat."

Immigration policy rounds out the legislative issues KGAB flagged, with bills targeting the concept of sanctuary cities circulating in the Wyoming Legislature alongside proposals to ensure non-citizens cannot vote in the state. Bills addressing transgender access to women's restrooms, locker rooms, and sports, as well as cell phone use in schools, also appear in the station's rundown of potential poll topics.

With 2026 being an election year, the timing is meant to capture where Laramie residents stand as candidates and campaigns begin to take shape. KGAB, which broadcasts on AM 650 and serves Cheyenne, Laramie, and the broader southeast Wyoming region, has run similar community-input polls before; the station went to Facebook to ask people about the biggest problem facing Cheyenne in 2026 and received over 200 responses.

The Laramie poll does not appear to be limited to a fixed list of choices. The poll was left open to write-in votes as well, so if a respondent's top choice is not listed, they can submit their own answer.

The poll comes as KGAB has been covering a string of other local developments, including a Red Flag Fire Warning posted for areas of southeast Wyoming, a Black Hills Energy public safety power shutoff, a Red Cross disaster recovery assistance center in Cheyenne, and the Laramie County Sheriff's office seeking help locating a missing teenager. The City of Laramie is also separately soliciting community input on the future of downtown Laramie, a process that may generate its own candidates for the poll's write-in field.

No results or vote tallies had been released as of publication. Whether KGAB plans to publish a formal results summary, as it has done with previous community polls, has not been announced.