It would be reasonable to assume that Wyoming will have some of the most stable elections in the country given the Republican government and Republican supermajorities in the state government, but that is simply not the case.
The Cowboy State has yet to pass legislation that improve the dignity of its electoral system despite Republicans ‘ absolute supremacy over state government. This can be attributed to, in large part, opposition from progressive GOP senators.
For instance, Wyoming Freedom Caucus ( WYFC) members attempted to pass legislation that would forbid private entities from funding election administration in the state during the previous year’s budget session. The bill sought to counteract the affect of” Zuckbucks,” which were funds that were finally used to benefit Democrats by various left-wing organizations to fund local election offices during the 2020 election.
While the determine received successfully majority support upon its introduction, a GOP-run House council voted to board the expenses in an apparent act of retaliation against the WYFC, whose members , voted down , some establishment-backed costs introduced earlier in the session. Wyoming was prevented by the petty maneuver from joining the growing number of states ( 28 ) that have successfully blocked or restricted private election funding.
]Exclusive: Wyoming Elections Chief Warns Local Officials Of 2024′ Zuckbucks ‘ Intervention]
Secretary of State Chuck Gray is taking advantage of the opportunity to push for a ban on” Zuckbucks” and another premature election procedures in the Cowboy State’s future legislative session now that the WYFC has secured an overwhelming majority in the House last month. Wyoming’s elections commander wants to reform the state’s election laws with reforms that have long been praised by grassroots activists, from voting record maintenance to evidence of citizenship requirements.
” This is a really comprehensive plan for us to move the ball forward]in Wyoming], and our administration is committed to advanc]ing ] election integrity”, Gray told The Federalist.
The Agenda
In keeping with the concerns of many Republicans about potential political unrest in Wyoming, Gray argued that just qualified Americans could register to cast ballots and cast ballots, which is of paramount importance.
The secretary laid out plans to develop legislation that requires prospective voters to present proof of citizenship ( POC ) when registering to cast ballots. A review of the costs obtained by The Federalist lists numerous examples of appropriate POC, including a legitimate state-issued driver’s license or ID card “provided it does not have any indication that the applicant is never a United States citizen”, a true U. S. passport, a “certificate of United States citizenship”, and others.
If Wyoming Republicans are effective in implementing these demands, Gray claims that the Cowboy State will become the “only state in the union with citizenship for all ethnicities.” The U.S. Supreme Court effectively forbade most states from requiring POC for federal voter registration under the National Voter Registration Act ( NVRA ), as Matt Kittle previously reported.
In Arizona, for example, the position may deny someone the ability to voting in national elections if they fail to display video proof of citizenship. Prospective Arizona voters are deemed to be “federal-only voters” and are limited to casting ballots in federal races if they fail to provide such proof while complying with all other eligibility requirements.
Wyoming is one of the six NVRA-exempt states, according to Gray, which gives state lawmakers the “opportunity” to require citizenship for those who want to “register and vote at every level.”
Wyoming has a chance to” truly be the leader on these conservative issues,” according to Gray.
In addition to these requirements, Gray is also attempting to pass legislation that mandates that individuals present proof of residency when registering to vote in Wyoming. As The Federalist’s Brianna Lyman reported,” Wyoming ‘s , election code , says voters must be both state residents and U. S. citizens …]b ] ut would-be voters are currently just required to provide proof of identity”.
Gray previously introduced a number of rules last year that approved the Wyoming governor’s veto of those rules. Mark Gordon. The Republican governor claimed in his letter to Gray that the secretary was unable to veto laws that would otherwise be required of him.
Referring to Gordon’s veto as “unfortunate”, Gray expressed hope the governor will do” the right thing” if a bill containing proof of residency requirements passes this year.
The Federalist contacted Gordon’s office to inquire whether he would sign a bill that might be delivered to his desk, but Gordon’s office did not respond.
In terms of voter registration, Gray expressed interest in making sure only eligible voters are listed on the voter rolls. This includes acquiring greater access to the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s data to” see when somebody requests a license in another state]to determine whether ] there’s evidence that they move to another jurisdiction” and enhanced interaction with the federal government’s SAVE database to verify individuals ‘ citizenship status.
The secretary also described his desire to strengthen the state’s voter ID requirement. According to Ballotpedia,” Generally, voters are required to present a photo ID, but there are two exceptions to that requirement” — Medicare and Medicaid insurance cards — that are set to expire in 2029.
Because those don’t have a photo on them,” we really want to remove them from the allowable list,” Gray said. ” One of the things you’re trying to effectuate with voter ID is]to stop ] voter impersonation]and ensure ] the person at the polls requesting the ballot is the person on the voter registration list. When you don’t have a photo, you can’t do that”.
Other items included in Gray’s 2025 agenda are prohibitions on ballot-harvesting/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>ballot harvesting, ballot drop boxes, ranked-choice voting, and foreign funding in elections and ballot initiative campaigns. Implementing a “durational residency requirement to vote in Wyoming” and mandates for” ]p ] aper ballots, hand audits, and counts of elections” are also on the list.
Wyoming’s 2025 legislative session is slated to run from Tuesday to March 6.
Shawn Fleetwood is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and a staff writer for The Federalist. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
