Wyoming Voters & Public Lands
POLL: More than 9-in-10 Wyoming Voters Oppose Federal Public Land Sell-Offs
August 6, 2026
CHEYENNE — More than 90% of Wyoming voters agree that Wyoming’s federally managed public lands should remain in public hands and oppose any efforts to sell them off, according to new polling by Keep It Public, Wyoming.
Wyoming is among the most conservative states in the U.S., and public land stewardship is a non-negotiable priority for voters across the Equality State. The survey reveals that more than 9 in 10 Wyoming voters (91%) oppose proposals calling for the sell-off of federally managed public land, such as those managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS).
The survey of 450 likely Wyoming primary and general election voters was conducted for Keep It Public, Wyoming July 27-29 by Cygnal, an award-winning international polling firm that regularly conducts surveys in the Cowboy State. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.61%.
Nearly half of Wyoming is federally managed public land — one of the largest shares of any state — that is used for hunting, fishing, grazing, mining, energy production, and outdoor recreation.
Key Polling Highlights:
Overwhelming Rejection of Land Sales: 91% of respondents oppose selling or privatizing public lands, with 80% stating they strongly oppose such measures.
Conservative Support: The near-universal opposition to selling off public lands included almost all Republican voters polled, 91% of whom support current multiple-use management practices over sell-off.
Speaking from Experience: More than 9 in 10 voters (91.5%) say they or someone in their household hunts, fishes, or recreates on public lands.
Access for Outdoor Heritage: Public lands are vital to Wyoming’s way of life. The top public lands priorities for Wyoming voters are maintaining hunting/fishing/recreation access (40%), passing land to future generations (28%), and keeping decisions in Wyoming’s hands (21%).
Opposition to Data Centers, Wind and Solar: A mere 10% of voters think building data centers on public lands is an acceptable use, and just 25% think wind and solar energy are acceptable uses on public lands.
The Keep It Public, Wyoming coalition has helped defeat large-scale sell-off proposals at the state and federal levels — but our work defending America’s public lands is far from over.
In 2025, Wyoming lawmakers defeated by a single vote Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJ-2), a resolution calling for the transfer of all federal public land in Wyoming to the state (except Yellowstone National Park). That same year, a massive bipartisan backlash stopped a federal proposal to sell off 2 to 3 million acres of public lands across the West.
This year, Wyoming lawmakers overwhelmingly supported Senate Joint Resolution 9 (SJ-9), “Keeping public lands protected and decisions local,” which was championed by Keep It Public, Wyoming members, among many others. The measure affirmed Wyoming’s opposition to the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Keep It Public, Wyoming urges state and federal lawmakers to respect the clear will of Wyoming voters and prioritize the funding, stewardship, and perpetuation of public lands over disposal schemes.
Public lands are a priority for Wyoming voters, ranking second overall (13.3%) behind inflation and the cost of living (18.8%) among top issues in the forthcoming election. Most voters (64%) said they had seen, read or heard “some” or “a great deal” about recent proposals to sell off federally managed public lands in Wyoming, and 79% said they would be less likely to support an elected official who supports selling or transferring public lands in Wyoming.