Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election is already underway in Wyoming, and election officials expect a repeat of the unprecedented early-and absentee-voting turnout that boosted voter numbers in the August primary.
There’s a lot at stake, for both Wyoming and the nation. Wyoming faces a massive economic crisis brought on by the pandemic and shrinking energy industries.
Robust participation in the upcoming general election, Gov. Mark Gordon said recently, is vital because the results will shape the nation and the quality of life in Wyoming for decades to come.
“[Voting] is a responsibility we as citizens have. It can never be more important than this year,” Gordon said at a press conference in August. “This is probably one of the most important elections that we’ve ever had, and it’s especially important for Wyoming.”
Today, some 445,025 Wyoming residents are of voting age; only 31.5% of them cast a ballot in the Aug. 18 primary, according to state figures.
Whether the course that Wyoming chooses for its future reflects the will of its people might depend on how many eligible voters register and cast a ballot in November and in the future.
Wyoming isn’t an outlier when it comes to voter participation; 47.9% of voting-age residents in Wyoming cast a ballot in the 2018 midterm elections compared to roughly 50% nationally, according to FairVote. But the state also lagged behind Colorado (61.4%), Utah (50.6%), Idaho (48.6%), Montana (61.3%), South Dakota (53.1%), and Nebraska (51.5%) the same year.
Many of those states have implemented voter access reforms in recent years. Can Wyoming follow their footsteps?
What Wyoming does well
Wyoming already employs a number of voter access programs many tout as effective.
Wyoming is among 35 states that allow “no excuse” absentee voting, which means a voter doesn’t have to justify or give any reason for requesting an absentee ballot. Voters can register at the polls on Election Day and can even change party affiliation when they show up. Registered voters can cast their ballot early, by mail (absentee ballot) or in person at official election sites. Those who are already registered to vote, don’t have to present an ID to vote in person on election day.
The Wyoming Legislature recently passed a law authorizing tribal IDs for voter registration, addressing a long-standing concern on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
In 2017, a new law streamlined the process for nonviolent felons who serve out their sentences to restore their right to vote. More than 400 former felons in Wyoming have restored their voting rights so far this year, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections.
Unlike dozens of states, Wyoming hasn’t enacted more restrictive registration and voting rules in recent years, such as stricter ID requirements or curtailed voting hours and early voting opportunities. However, stricter ID laws and measures to prevent “cross-over” party registration in primary elections are perennial issues before the Wyoming Legislature.
The Wyoming Secretary of State’s office took additional measures this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Every voter already registered in June received a notice from the state inviting them to request an absentee ballot — an option that many Wyoming voters didn’t know was available to them. The office also used CARES Act funding to promote the state’s largest get-out-the-vote effort in recent history: Let’s Vote Wyo.
Between now and the general election, the state will spend twice as much money on the Let’s Vote Wyo campaign — reaching potential voters via newspaper, radio and social media advertising — than it did ahead of the August primary, according to Secretary of State Ed Buchanan’s office.
In spite of, or due in part to, the coronavirus pandemic, voter turnout in this year’s primary election exceeded expectations and bucked historic trends. The state saw the highest absentee ballot count in its history.
“Voters listened and proved that even when times are tough — perhaps especially when times are tough — Wyoming votes,” Secretary of State Edward Buchanan said in a press release after the 2020 primary.
Areas for improvement, and potential solutions
But can the state close its participation gap?
WyoFile spoke with voters, election reform advocates and election officials about potential areas for reform or improvement, and how Wyoming compares to approaches by other states.
In terms of voter registration, Wyoming does not offer so-called “motor-voter” registration where eligible voters are either automatically registered or allowed to voluntarily register while obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or while otherwise conducting business with state agencies.
The state does not offer online voter registration and does not participate in the National Mail Voter Registration Form program. Voters must register in person, or by mail. To register by mail, the registration form must be notarized; Wyoming is the only state with this notary requirement.
In addition, a voter’s registration is purged if they did not vote in the most recent general election.
Voter registration drives, unless they are conducted by a county elections clerk, are limited in Wyoming. Registration forms require a notary, unless registering at a county elections office or in the presence of county election officials. Voters must turn in their own ballots.
When it comes to voter registration reforms, there are models out there Wyoming could look to as well. Since 2015, fifteen states, and the District of Columbia, have enacted some type of automatic voter registration with results that suggest it reduces cost and increases voter registration and turnout. Eighteen states have so-called “motor voter” laws.
Only 10 states, including Wyoming, do not offer some form of online voter registration, according to Ballotpedia. Online voter registration, such as in Colorado, can improve access for potential voters, while also validating eligibility across existing state agencies, such as a department of motor vehicles — a potential adaptation that might register more voters while also addressing social distancing concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Brennan Center For Justice.
Some states, including Colorado, are replacing automatic voter roll purging methods with systems that cross-check other state agency databases to proactively update a voter’s registration with in-state changes of address and other status updates.
Waiving the state’s notary requirement would allow for more voter registration drive efforts, advocates say. Registration applications are vetted for eligibility and authenticity when received by county election officials.
Wyoming lawmakers are considering measures to increase access to online notaries, while some advocates lobby for doing away with the online notary requirement altogether, like all other states. They claim that the notary requirement is duplicative because registration applications are already vetted for eligibility and authenticity when received by county election officials.
Although Wyoming allows for “no excuse” absentee ballot voting, it does not automatically send absentee ballots to registered voters. Absentee ballots also do not come with pre-paid postage.
At least five states automatically send mail-in ballots to registered voters, and more are considering the move in a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Although Wyoming doesn’t automatically send a mail-in or absentee ballot to all registered voters, there are no limits on how many registered voters can request an absentee ballot.
Approximately 17 states include pre-paid postage with mail-in or absentee ballots; some advocates claim the cost can be offset by smaller staffing necessary for in-person voting.
In addition, most states are reviewing protocols and logistics required to provide more drop-off boxes for mail-in and absentee ballots in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Barriers or security measures?
Wyoming does not have open primaries. Voters must choose to affiliate with either the Democratic or the Republican party, which limits them to a party-specific ballot in the primary election. As a result, there are sometimes no candidates to choose from in a race, and a party-affiliated voter cannot choose a candidate in a hotly contested race in the other party.
As a result, Wyoming sees a lot of “cross-over” voting in primary elections. In response, the legislature is continually asked to consider bills that attempt to limit cross-over voting. At least 20 states have open primaries.
Some election officials say Wyoming’s primary election (usually in August) is too close to the November election. It creates an undue burden to certify primary election results while also preparing ballots and other logistics or the general election.
Nearly every potential barrier in Wyoming is also considered by some a strength that helps to ensure security and faith in Wyoming elections.
State election officials, and others, say Wyoming’s registration, voting and elections systems do work differently than other states that are moving toward greater online access, all mail-in voting and so-called “opt-out” measures. But that doesn’t mean Wyoming’s systems are broken, insufficient or even outdated. In many ways, the state’s system has been built around what works well for Wyoming voters.
“It’s tailored for you and me — for the people of Wyoming,” Wyoming Secretary of State spokesman Will Dinneen said.
Still, if faith in Wyoming elections and a sense of accountability to the electorate at all levels of elected representation is a priority, then it might be measured by voter turnout. What can Wyoming do to build upon what it already does well to get more people to register and vote?
Learning from other states
Wyoming has a menu of reforms and modernization efforts to choose from that are aimed to get more people to register and vote.
Several states in the Rockies and across the West have reformed voter access laws and modernized systems to include automatic registration and to expand vote-by-mail opportunities. Doing so takes some upfront investment and years to implement, which voter reform advocates say can pay off both financially and in terms of voter turnout.
Several advocates for greater voter access in Wyoming, such as the Equality State Policy Center and League of Women Voters of Wyoming, point to Colorado and what’s referred to as the “Colorado model.” In 2013, Colorado passed the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act, and followed up with more measures to make participating in a democracy — registering and voting — more of an opt-out detail than opt-in.
Audrey Kline is national policy director for the National Vote At Home Institute. She said several states have adopted aspects of the Colorado model, particularly the move toward more mail-in voting. “It’s about how you view your government and how you view voting rights,” Kline said. “It’s an entirely different way of looking at elections.”
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For example, eligible voters have the opportunity to register online, in person, or while obtaining or renewing a driver’s license. Ballots are mailed out to every registered Colorado voter with multiple options to mail-in or drop-off ballots.
The state also maintains a voter registration roll that tracks changing addresses, which reduces voter-roll purging. Rather than fully rely on precinct-by-precinct polling centers, Colorado increased the number of county-by-county Election Day “voting centers” where voters can register, change their party affiliation and cast a ballot.
Kline said one of the most positive results is an increase in how many voters choose candidates in local elections.
“We’ve seen increases in turnout in state elections and local elections as voters become more acquainted with the system,” Kline said. “They get a ballot, research an issue and cast their ballot. You see a more informed and more engaged electorate.”
Voter participation in Colorado increased from 66% in the 2008 general election to 72% in the 2016 general election, according to the National Vote at Home Institute. Ninety-three percent of those who cast a ballot in 2016 did so by mail, according to the institute, while the state’s “cost per voter” dropped by 33%. Colorado’s voter turnout in the 2018 midterm election was second only to Minnesota.
Colorado’s reforms have served as a model for many other states, Kline said, including Utah, Arizona, Montana, California, Oregon and Washington. The vast majority of voters in those states are voting by mail, Kline said, adding that California and Nevada plan to mail ballots to registered voters in this year’s general election.
“And those (vote by mail) numbers are about to explode even further,” Kline said.
Weighing voter reforms in Wyoming
Although Wyoming’s registration and voting systems might be considered more analog and hands on than programs elsewhere, state legislators generally agree with the Secretary of State’s office that it’s working well.
“There has been some reluctance, at least in the Senate, to go beyond the absentee ballot system we have now,” Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions joint committee co-chairman Sen. Bill Landon (R-Casper) said. “Online voter registration has not come up this interim, but like voting issues in general, it could very well be seen as an interim topic next year.”
The success of robust voting and secure elections relies a lot on county clerks around the state, Landon said, who do a “rock star” job of making the system work for voters.
One of the top-line reforms that advocacy groups such as the Equality State Policy Center and League of Women Voters of Wyoming want to see is to do away with the notary requirement for registering by mail.
“You can register at the polls and that’s a big asset,” League of Women Voters of Wyoming organizer Marguerite Herman said. “However, it’s my belief that if you are registered before the day of the election you are more invested in who is running and checking things out. Also, [candidates] will court your votes if you are registered. The day of election, if you’re not already registered, it’s too easy to not vote.”
Jen Simon is senior policy advisor for the nonpartisan Equality State Policy Center. She said greater voter access and participation would give residents of the state more faith in their local government and, in turn, more accountability among those who are elected.
“Anything we can do that encourages greater participation in our democracy stands to benefit everyone,” Simon said. “Our democracy thrives when more people participate.”
Both Simon and Herman noted that much of the Wyoming Legislature’s hesitation about moving toward more online registration and mail-in voting lies in concerns about fraud. They say those concerns are overblown. Simon pointed to research by the Brennan Center for Justice that indicates that there’s been only about 31 instances of fraud out of 1 billion votes cast nationally between 2000 and 2014.
“Subsequent research confirms this,” Simon said. “Voter fraud simply isn’t a problem. Wyoming has statutes that protect voters and the integrity of the system.”
Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Frank Eathorne said the state party doesn’t see any need for major reformations to voting and elections in the state. Although it does want to see more rural polling places and voter participation.
Moving toward more online registration and vote-by-mail opportunities isn’t necessarily a priority for the Republican party, according to Eathorne. Election security and potential for voter fraud remains a concern. The Wyoming GOP has faith in the state’s system as it exists today, he said, although there may be a need to consider measures that allow for modernizing voter access in the future.
“We like to conduct business person-to-person, and we like to see the county clerk,” Eathorne said. “The public understands [Wyoming’s voting system is rooted in] more security. It takes just a little more effort.
“Wyoming has a bullet-proof system,” he added, “as long as it’s followed.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This reporting series is supported by the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems. Read the first story here.
VOTING RESOURCES:
State of Wyoming
° Wyoming county clerk offices
Nonpartisan Wyoming voter/information
° League of Women Voters of Wyoming
Federal resources
– here’s a big Red Herring swimming upstream to spawn for you.
We just had a big fight in the Republican bastion of Park County when the County Clerk decided to close the really small outlying polling places for the Primary election , and only open the bigger poll stations in Cody and Powell proper. This was done logically for several good reasons, such as the difficulty of getting qualified election judges and polling attendants , most of whom were elderly who had done the yeoman work for years before this cursed year , now not keen on servicing folks in the wake of a pandemic. Can’t blame them for that . The Clerk also saw cost savings in a county that had to dip into budget reserves for nearly $ 2 million to balance next year’s budget. Then there’s the surge in Absentee voting replacing in-person voting ( we don’t really have full voting by mail yet in Wyoming, but maybe should ).
Well, the far right deepr ed activist wing of the local Republican Party went ballistic. Many of them reside in the foothills away from town and want the rest of us to respect their freedoms , their personal armories, and No Tresspassing signs, but love to meddle in City and Copunty civic affairs to a fault. Loud and proud , those folks. Republican and/or libertarian to the bone marrow
They mounted a successful campaign to reopen the outlying polls so they would not be so egregiously disenfranchised of their votes unless they drove 20 minutes to get to town to vote in person . Put the polling station at Wal-mart and this would not have been a problem of any magnitude. But Park COunty and especially its GOP rabble has a penchant for amplifying small inconveniences into major problems, at least perceptually.
The COunty Commish heard them out in a loud meeting and asked the Clerk to reopen the outlier polling places. of course she’s jammed for time and logitics to find enough people willing to work the polls, and is even relying on teenagers not yet of voting age in some cases to take the crash course and learn democracy on the hoof. Last I heard there might be anough logitical support to enable the rural polling places after all.
But here’s the thing: this was all done stern to bow, top to bottom , by the local activist Republicans. ( There aren’t enough Dems in Park County to pull a stick wagon out of the mud if they all turn out . The County Democratic Party was on the record anyway saying the lack of traditional dinky rural p[olling places was just a minor inconvenience at worst. A non-issue for the blues. )
Yup. Republicans raising their well regulated political militia to rally to OPEN polling places . This the swimming upstream thing I alluded to…everywhere else in the nation it is largely the GOP and their apparatchiks trying to CLOSE polling places and disinfranchise voters and keep voters away or at least make them suffer in order to casta ballot in person . Think Milwaukee, FLorida, Georgia, Texas , Pennsylvania et al. You don’t have to look to hard or too long to find a legion of Republican voter repeller machinery at work in all fifty states and the territories.
What happened in Park County is totally 180° opposite of what the GOP is doing everywhere else. Oh by the way , the county voted over 73 percent for Trump last time, and any Republican on any ballot in any race in Park County is a shoe in at General Election Time.
Apparently for the local GOP activists, absentee voting is a bridge too far, even in this extraordinary pandemic year when it makes solid sense to do it that way. I keep catching the whiff of skunk aroma here…its name is Hypocrisy.
I voted absentee last week . I was all by myself in the Elections office at the Courthouse . Took five minutes. Totally painless. pleasant, even . Did it on my way to Wal-mart….
Two items: One. As a Democratic voter, my vote on the Federal level will never count. I continue to vote, although even on the local level there is often not even a Democrat to vote for.
Two. As an older person, I vote Absentee. Why am I not at least accorded the right of privacy for my vote? There is no privacy envelope involved in the process so anyone (coutny clerk? election judge?) can see my vote.
We can safely shop in large box stores like Walmart with no Covid 19 concerns but suddenly we have to vote by mail? It smells like election fraud to me. Voting by mail is an easy way to “stuff the ballot” . It’s not a safe, secure way to conduct any election, but especially now in these troubled times when the “left” opposes everything our President does, regardless of what it is.
Using this plandamic as most Americans are beginning to refer to Covid 19 as, to steal an election for the Progressive Left movement is begging for trouble.
Voting in person is no less safe then going to Walmart or for most of us, going to work daily during Covid 19.
Let’s no allow one segment of our population to dictate our entire country’s future. You can safely vote by mail. We prove this everyday when we venture out in public to shop & work and return home safely each night with nary a lick of Covid 19 to be found.
No evidence of the widespread mail voter fraud your president lies about daily exists. His own commission found no evidence.