Wyoming voters absolutely should feel free to cast their ballot where they choose.
That’s not in dispute.
Opinion
Where the conversation becomes more difficult, and more important, is what those choices mean, not just in a single election, but over time.
Recently, some have argued that Democrats should feel just as comfortable voting in Republican primaries if that’s where their vote has the most immediate impact. The argument is framed around respect, freedom and individual choice.
Those are values we share.
But respect does not mean we stop being honest and candid about consequences.
A ballot may not be a loyalty oath, but it isn’t neutral either. It’s a signal. And when Democrats choose to leave their own primary — even temporarily — that signal has real and lasting effects.
It affects whether candidates step forward.
It affects whether donors invest.
It affects whether national partners take Wyoming Democrats seriously.
And it affects whether the next generation believes this party is worth building.
Those aren’t abstract concerns. They’re the foundation of whether a political party can exist in a meaningful way.
There’s also a deeper question beneath this debate.
What does it mean to believe in a political party?
Not as a label, but as a vehicle and as an instrument for values.
If we believe in protecting public lands, expanding access to healthcare, strengthening public education, fighting for affordable housing and supporting working families, then the question is not just where a single vote has the most immediate impact. It’s whether our actions help build a structure capable of advancing those priorities over time.
That’s where the argument for widespread crossover voting breaks down.
Even when voters participate in another party’s primary, the candidates who emerge are still accountable to that party’s base, donors and platform. They govern accordingly. Any influence from outside voters is limited and temporary. The long-term effect, however, is clear: The party that actually represents those values becomes weaker.
That is not a path to greater influence. It is a path to less of it.
None of this is about shaming voters for the choices they make at the ballot box. People should think for themselves. They should act in what they believe is their best interest.
But it’s not disrespectful to say that some choices are more aligned with building a stronger future than others.
Encouraging Democrats to leave their own primary, cycle after cycle, does not strengthen democracy in Wyoming. It weakens one of the only vehicles available to offer a different vision for this state.
And ultimately, that’s what this comes down to.
We can continue to look for influence in someone else’s primary.
Or we can build it ourselves.
Those are both choices. But they don’t lead to the same future.
Where is Governor Ed when we really need him.
As a Laramie County Democrat, I can say that we are working on having a Democrat candidate in almost every election. We are also going to run on issues important to Laramie County voters, not on national or social issues. We are trying to keep the Democratic Party viable as best we can. I agree with Pat McDaniel that we also need to focus on registering voters and getting them to the polls.
A ”Hobson’s choice” is indeed the only choice for Independent (unaffiliated) or Democrat registered voters in Wyoming. As great as Merrifield’s intentions may be, they are equally idealistic. I believe the most logical way to break the GOP stranglehold on Wyoming is to vote in the least F.C. leaning candidate in the party that you know will prevail. As unappetizing as that may be!
It’s a case of the chicken or the egg. The Democratic party abandoned Wyoming. I get that it’s hard to deliver here, but there really isn’t even an effort.
If the State Democratic Party would field new, viable candidates there would be no need to cross Party lines. Sadly, that is not the case and it hasn’t been in a very long time. Campaigns have become expensive, nasty and backed by well funded out of state interests. As a lifelong Wyoming Democrat who remembers when we had strong Democratic candidates who were regularly elected, today we have a “Hobson’s Choice” situation which is no choice at all. Our current Democratic legislators are valiant warriors on the party’s behalf despite being in a very small minority. The only way now for Wyoming Democrats to influence Wyoming politics is to vote for the most rational Republican candidates not aligned with the Freedom Caucus. For Dems who choose to change parties the reason is not personal, it’s pragmatic. Consider committing to statewide voter registration efforts to reach the 50% of Wyoming voters who are not registered: it’s old school and it’s work intensive but it pays off.
The Democratic Party leans too heavily on national topics and not enough on Wyoming interests. South Dakota is suffering from the same malady. It can be argued that most Wyoming citizens (dems and reps) lean far more to the center than the fringe—and yet here we are.
Point well taken, but dangerous in today’s unprecedented political climate. It’s a bit like saying we shouldn’t use the only available water source to put out a house fire because it is potable water and will be needed for drinking in the future. Given the rapid disappearance of competent public leaders in the state, it may boil down to a choice between saving the Democratic party and saving Wyoming.
If the Dems could grow a spine and fight fire with fire, sure, this makes sense. They can’t, so I’m full RINO. I will vote the least harmful of the only party to ever matter to Wyoming.
The only real fix today, Dems need to switch to Republican. A single party system is a no party system. Then we can be on equal footing.
Republicans are selfish and greedy, good can’t triumph over that. Their lack of morals guarantees it.
My college Politics and Government of Wyoming professor imparted the scripture that ” the only election that matters in Wyoming is the Primary. All others are secondary. ” John T. Hinckley said that in 1970. Still true.
The corollary is a hardened Democrat’s lone vote is far more effective behind enemy lines laying down fire on a Republican ballot. It pragmatic populism. The Wyoming Democratic party is dead. Long live the Wyoming Democrat. We’ll always have November.
Some 56 years later I would suggest two transformational changes. Wyoming needs to go to an open primary with Ranked Choice vote tabulation. And no place on Earth needs a viable Green Party more than Wyoming USA.
Dewey, it’s funny how “save Democracy” is a popular slogan of the left these days, and at the same time they champion the twisting/perversion of it through the ranked choice voting scheme.
The likes of Lisa Murkowski have ranked choice voting to thank for their continued “reign”. American Royalty, only a US Senator because she was BORN into it and then handed over from her father. Another elderly US Senator in throne for 24 years, with no sign of abdication.
Ranked choice = Giving the loser the trophy