CHEYENNE — A petition drive intended to force a voter referendum on Cheyenne’s new public smoking ban cleared an important hurdle Friday.
City Clerk Carol Intlekofer said an initial signature count revealed 3,113 potentially valid names. She rejected about 290 because they were not accompanied by physical addresses inside the city limits.
The petition must include valid signatures from 10 percent of registered Cheyenne voters — 2,690 signatures — to make the November ballot. The clerk will now verify each signature against the county voter rolls for the city of Cheyenne, a process that should take about three weeks.
“The initial count was just to give me the indication whether the 10 percent requirement had been met, and now we advance to the next in-depth review stage,” Intlekofer said.
Earlier this month, Cheyenne became only the second Wyoming city to ban smoking in all public buildings except tobacco shops. The ordinance is slated to go into effect on Aug. 15, though the City Council will likely delay implementation if the petition drive succeeds.
City Councilman Don Pierson, chief sponsor of the measure, has said he is confident voters will uphold the ordinance. Those who opposed the ordinance include some smokers, bar owners, private club members and those who believe business owners have a right to choose whether to allow smoking in their establishments.
