2026 Platform

CONVERSE COUNTY DEMOCRATS 2026 PLATFORM

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Democrats of Converse County, meeting at the County Convention on March 28, 2026 have confirmed the following summary statements of our 2026 Platform:

WE BELIEVE:

• There must be Priority Care and Advocacy for the least fortunate and most vulnerable of Wyoming’s citizens – children, elderly, disabled, medically uninsured, victims of abuse, etc.
• In the Preservation and Protection of individual freedoms set out in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights
• The United States should strive to set the highest standard for basic human rights.
• We must have comprehensive prevention and treatment strategies AND funding to address community and domestic violence, addictions and other physical and mental health and safety issues.
• Wyoming must adequately and equitably fund public education.
• In an accountable, responsive government of, for, and by the citizens of Wyoming
• Wyoming must protect and sustain a healthy outdoors and indoors environment for everyone
  • This can be done by the development of technology to reduce carbon emissions from our existing nonrenewable natural resources
  • The State must fund the development of renewable energy resources to help protect our natural environment.
• Health care is a basic human right that should be developed and encouraged by the State of Wyoming.

I. SOCIAL ISSUES

We support:

1. A ban on smoking and vaping in public places in order to provide a healthier environment for everyone and reduce the diseases caused by direct and second- hand smoke.
2. Quality affordable healthcare, physical and mental services for all Wyoming citizens and expansion of Medicaid in Wyoming that guarantees access to affordable health coverage and medication for all Wyoming citizens
3. Incentives, interventions, programs, and opportunities that will measurably improve the lives of those in poverty, the disabled, the elderly, or the infirm
4. A criminal justice system that is held accountable and is based on restorative justice, with alternatives to incarceration such as prevention and rehabilitation programs with comprehensive and adequate funding
5. Restitution of those people who have been exonerated of guilt in a crime and unjustly incarcerated
6. A call for the resources needed to support Veterans’ programs statewide
7. Harsher penalties for the perpetrators of hate crimes and crimes against children, the elderly, sexual abuse/assault, and the developmentally disabled.,
8. Compassion and equality for members of the LGBTQIA+ (intersex and asexual+) community
9. Advocating for women’s rights issues
10. Equal pay for equal work for all Wyoming employees
11. The need for AI to progress at a restrained pace with ethical considerations, and checks and balances.

WE OPPOSE:

12. Mandatory minimum criminal sentences
13. Privately owned and operated prisons, ICE facilities, and detention centers in the State of Wyoming.

II. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

WE SUPPORT:

1. The rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the State of Wyoming’s Constitution
2. Equalizing the role of women and minorities in policy-making positions in national, state, and local government
3. Constant vigilance to prevent the invasion of privacy by governmental or private agencies including email, social media, AI, phone conversations, and US mail
4. The protection of civil liberties in the workplace
5. Written policies for random drug testing that are legal and enforceable in the workplace
6. A woman’s constitutional right to reproductive freedom and other basic rights of privacy in personal matters
7. Legislative mandated life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of using the death penalty
8. Legislation, both at the federal and state level, that reverses The Citizens United ruling of SCOTUS
9. Gun Free Zones Laws as passed and in force at the end of the 2024 Legislative Session
10. The enactment of Red Flag laws in Wyoming

WE OPPOSE:

11. All laws that deprive any citizen of life, liberty or property without due process, impose torture or deny the constitutional rights of any citizens on account of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, handicap or national origin.
12. Interfering with the rights of eligible voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote
13. The new “Red Flag Law” changes enacted in the 2026 Legislative Session
14. The seizure and detention of individuals seeking asylum and citizenship in the US without due process

III. INTERNATIONAL

WE SUPPORT:

1. A foreign policy that accurately reflects and promotes the principles of freedom, human rights, compassion, and economic stability of citizens of the world
2. Efforts toward mutual arms reductions and treaties to ban ordinance, nuclear weapons, and chemical warfare
3. An expeditious and responsible end to all war and occupation on foreign soil

WE OPPOSE:

4. The privatization and outsourcing of our military
5. The deportation of emigrants to countries to which they have no connections
6. Use of any methods of mass surveillance by government entities, local, state, or federal

IV. ECONOMIC

WE SUPPORT:

1. Responsible efforts of state, county, and local governments to improve the economic climate and conditions of citizens and corporations in Wyoming
2. Regulation of banking, financial industries, and cryptocurrencies
3. Funding of programs that encourage and enhance traditional family-owned and operated businesses, farms, and ranches and recognize their importance to the stability of our national and local economy.
4. Eliminating all forms of wage inequality in Wyoming to ensure equal pay for equal work.
5. Total transparency of all off-shore banking activities and cryptocurrency activities conducted in the state of Wyoming
6. The legalization of marijuana – agricultural, medical and recreational.

WE OPPOSE:

7. The excessive outsourcing of Wyoming jobs
8. The current trends toward monopolies

V. REVENUES

WE SUPPORT:

1. Compensation to the State of Wyoming for the extracting of Wyoming’s nonrenewable and renewable natural resources
2. A tax penalty on the flaring of gas and regulation on siting
3. Continuing revenues historically designed for the operations of cities, towns, and counties
4. A substantial increase in alcohol taxes with a portion of the increase to be used for the prevention and treatment of alcoholism and public education
5. A portion of the interest from the permanent mineral trust fund to be used in creating economic development programs and alternatives to incarceration within Wyoming
6. The reasonable taxation of energy resources with a portion of the revenues to be used for education and infrastructure development.
7. The repeal of tariffs on foreign made solar panels.
8. State revenue disbursements should be allocated with emphasis towards home grown industries and businesses

VI. GOVERNMENT

WE SUPPORT:

1. Accountability in government (i.e. roll call votes in the Wyoming Legislature for all substantive decisions at all stages of the decision-making process)
2. Full financial disclosure by all elected officials and legislation that clearly defines “conflict of interest” and forbids public elected officials from voting on these issues
3. An open primary: you may choose a republican or a democratic ballot at the time of the primary election without declaring party affiliation.
4. True lobbyist disclosure to all citizens of Wyoming so we know how much money in-state and out-of-state special interest groups spend to influence Wyoming legislators and/or initiatives
5. Efforts to establish enforceable term limits for ALL levels of elected officials
6. The creation of a recall process for the removal of any local, state, or federal official
7. A constitutional amendment abolishing Super PACs and other venue that obscures disclosure of campaign contributions
8. A law making it illegal for an elected official to accept payment for lobbying until 5 years out of office.

VII. ENVIRONMENT

We seek to aggressively preserve and protect Wyoming’s world-renowned environmental quality and the development of renewable energy resources to help protect our natural environment, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and lower the impact on climate change.

WE SUPPORT:

1. The development of technology to reduce carbon emissions from utilization of our existing nonrenewable natural resources
2. The creation and funding of a statewide top-to-bottom recycling program to include waste by-products from renewable and nonrenewable energy industries and households.
3. Access to public lands, including corner crossing, for recreational purposes with full protection for landowners and the public, while respecting private property rights
4. Adequate funding and protections for our national, state. county, and city parks, monuments and historical sites.
5. Government subsidies for renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
6. The rights of surface owners for the fair and equitable ability to negotiate for protection in the removal of minerals and renewable resource siting concerns
7. Protections for all our plant, wildlife populations, and microscopic life, in addition to those included in the Endangered Species Act
8. State wildlife management plans based on sound science
9. Statewide Air quality regulations similar to the recommendations used for the Green River Basin in Sublette County
10. The assurance that emergency management planning considers the effects of a natural disaster caused by climate change, epidemics of pathogens, and/or AI developed safety concerns.
11. Laws that inhibit the use of chemicals that harm our biological and ecological environment.
12. GMO labeling laws to protect the health of all citizens
13. Adequate protections are in place before any radioactive wastes are disposed in or transported through Wyoming

WE OPPOSE:

14. Wyoming becoming a dumping ground for any wastes not generated in Wyoming, including nuclear wastes.
15. Wyoming becoming a test ground for unproven technologies, such as, but not limited to, nuclear reactors – stationary or portable
16. Industrywide use of flaring natural gas

VIII. EDUCATION

WE SUPPORT:

1. An educational system that values the development of each individual, responsible increased funding for all levels of public education, responsible academic freedom within the classroom, and a safe learning environment
2. Teaching our children how to think rather than what to think
3. That no student shall be denied the right to participate in any activity at a public school based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, age, disability, or national origin
4. Granting teachers the right to negotiate collectively and participate in the certification process to ensure maintenance of quality standards in teacher and administrative personnel
5. The continuation of adult education programs that provide training and retraining programs.
6. The continuation of rural schools in Wyoming
7. Keeping the choice of reciting the pledge of allegiance in public schools
8. Parents’ or guardians’ rights to request alternative special education options not currently recognized within the state, but that has met peer review and approval
9. Diversifying the funding model to increase educational funding extending out to early childhood development and community colleges.
10. We support equal access to education to all students
11. The protections of students, staff, parents, and community members during pandemics, natural disasters, and lockdowns by following the recommendations predetermined by county, state, and national health and disaster agencies. This could include closures, evacuations, masking and vaccinations.

WE OPPOSE:

12. Public funding of private schools
13. All forms of bullying in the school environment
14. Banning of books used in classrooms, media, and libraries

IX. LABOR

WE SUPPORT:

1. The right of workers to organize to advance their own economic interests, including the right to collective bargaining for wages, benefits and a safe work environment
2. The repeal of Right-To-Work legislation
3. Raising the minimum wage to $20.00 an hour over five years with consideration to local economic and business development
4. Increased vocational and technical education at the high school and college levels
5. Increased affordable technological basic training at the community college level
6. The right of employees to schedule reasonable unpaid time off without the threat of retribution or termination
7. Hiring and retaining full time certified faculty at K-12, at colleges and the university.
8. The working people of Wyoming and believe no person should have to work more than one job in order to meet the basic living standard
9. Stricter support of the Wyoming and Federal Labor Laws
10. Increasing the wage for tipped employees to at least $10.00 an hour over five years with consideration to local economic and business development

WE OPPOSE

11. Any employer’s attempt to take any portion of employee tips

COMMENDATIONS

We appreciate and thank the leaders, officers, and staff of the Wyoming Democratic Party.

We wish to recognize and commend the many local Democrats who serve on various State and Converse County boards and commissions.

We extend our sincere gratitude and support to all Democrats who assume the burden of running for public office.