Cheyenne, WYVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Cheyenne City Council Election 2026

3 of 9

council seats up

3 contests

6 candidates

Updated Oct 4, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

City Council Ward I · 1 seat

City Council Ward II · 1 seat

City Council Ward III · 1 seat

Each voter chooses one council member for their own ward: Ward I, Ward II or Ward III. The winner in each ward serves a four-year term beginning in January 2027. The mayor is not on the 2026 ballot.

3 notes on these statements

Ken Esquibel is the incumbent in Ward III. He and Bill Bryant advanced from a four-candidate primary field. Cap City News · Aug 18, 2026

Ward I's primary had nine candidates; Maren Kallas and Rhianna Brand advanced with 792 and 482 votes. Ward II had three; Janelle Rose and Lynn Storey-Huylar advanced with 2,987 and 1,953 votes. Cap City News · Aug 18, 2026

Council votes on these pages come from the City's minutes, which record each vote as all members of the governing body voting one way with any exceptions named. Cheyenne City Council minutes, July 13, 2026 · Jul 13, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Michelle AldrichCouncilmember, Ward III; seat not on the November 2026 ballot8sourcedKathy EmmonsCouncilmember, Ward II; seat not on the November 2026 ballot8sourcedPete LaybournCouncilmember, Ward I; Council Vice President in 2026; seat not on the November 2026 ballot9sourcedMark MoodyCouncilmember, Ward III; seat not on the November 2026 ballot10sourcedTom SegraveCouncilmember, Ward II; Council President in 2026; seat not on the November 2026 ballot8sourcedJeff WhiteCouncilmember, Ward I; seat not on the November 2026 ballot8sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz6 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesData centers and annexation, Stormwater fee and city finances, Administrative inspection warrantsKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

Get your Cheyenne ballot cheat-sheet

Candidates, positions and dates in one email, sent now.

One email now. We only email again if you ask. No ads, never sold.

Next date

Absentee and early voting begins

Tue, Oct 6, 2026

TomorrowAll key dates

What the next council decides

Data centers and annexation

Where it standsThe council annexed about 3,460 acres in July 2026 for a planned Microsoft data center campus and a further 1,260 acres in September for another data center.

What's on the tableWhether to approve further data center annexations and rezonings, and what standards or agreements to require.

Stormwater fee and city finances

Where it standsThe council repealed the city's stormwater fee in March 2026 and said it would work with the Wyoming Legislature on alternative funding.

What's on the tableWhether and how to fund stormwater maintenance, and how to use city reserves and set fees.

Administrative inspection warrants

Where it standsThe council adopted a new chapter in February 2026 letting the fire chief, fire marshal and chief building official apply to a municipal judge for administrative inspection warrants.

What's on the tableWhether to keep, amend or revisit the warrant authority, and how its use is reported.

  • The authority is limited to four scenarios: investigating the cause of a fire, routine commercial fire safety inspections, inspecting active building permits and entering abandoned buildings. Cap City News · Feb 9, 2026
  • City officials must submit a written incident report to the City Council within 10 days of executing any administrative warrant. Cap City News · Feb 9, 2026
  • The ordinance passed 7-3, with Councilors Mark Moody, Mark Rinne and Ken Esquibel casting the dissenting votes. Cap City News · Feb 9, 2026

Affordable housing

Where it standsThe council accepted donations for affordable housing in June 2026 and in February removed the owner-occupancy requirement for accessory dwellings.

What's on the tableHow to use donated funds, what zoning and permitting changes to make, and which housing projects to support.

Public input and the Microsoft annexation petition

Where it standsResidents submitted a referendum petition on the July annexation, and the City Clerk's office is counting signatures; no court ruling on the proper appeal process had been published as of September 29.

What's on the tableHow the council responds to the petition outcome and how it involves residents before large land-use decisions.

  • Petition organizers needed about 2,739 valid signatures, 10% of the City's 2024 electorate, and estimated they collected about 3,200. Cap City News · Sep 29, 2026
  • As of September 25, staff had reviewed 128 petition pages, about 57% of the total, and have until November 3 to finish. Cap City News · Sep 29, 2026
  • The council announced it would seek a declaratory judgment from a court on which appeal process applies; as of September 29 no judgment had been published. Cap City News · Sep 29, 2026

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. How should Cheyenne handle new data center annexations and approvals?

  2. 2. Should Cheyenne charge a dedicated stormwater fee?

  3. 3. How should the city use its financial reserves?

  4. 4. Should city officials be able to seek administrative inspection warrants?

  5. 5. What should the city do first to make housing more affordable?

  6. 6. How should the council handle major, contested decisions?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

  • Absentee and early voting beginsLaramie County ClerkOct 6, 2026
  • Voter registration closes (voters may still register in person and vote absentee October 20 to November 2, and register at their polling place on Election Day)Laramie County ClerkOct 19, 2026
  • Election Day, polls open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.City of CheyenneNov 3, 2026

The seat math

6 stay (not up this year): Michelle Aldrich, Kathy Emmons, Pete Laybourn, Mark Moody, Tom Segrave, Jeff White3 on this ballot

9 council seats. The council decides by a 5-vote majority.

  • Cheyenne is a first-class city with a Mayor-Council form of government. The Governing Body consists of the Mayor and nine Council members. City of Cheyenne
  • Council members are elected by the voters of their ward, three members from each of the three wards, and serve staggered four-year terms. City of Cheyenne
  • The 2026 municipal vacancies are three City Council seats, one in each ward; the mayor's office is not on the ballot. All municipal offices are nonpartisan. City of Cheyenne
  • The Governing Body holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m. City of Cheyenne

Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works →

Take your ballot with you

Who is on your ballot, where each candidate stands, and the dates that matter, in one email you can carry to the polls. Sent right now.

One email now. We only email again if you ask. No ads, never sold.

See something wrong? Report an error

Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.