Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a Chuck Gray-supported election security bill on Friday that would have banned members of the public from mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters. This was a practice used by former congresswoman Liz Cheney during her 2020 campaign.
Although it wasn’t an overwhelmingly successful legislative session for staunch conservatives, election security was one bright spot, which Secretary of State Chuck Gray made his presence well-heard in.
The successful bills to ban crossover voting and to prohibit any campaign from distributing official absentee ballot request forms were both drafted in response to former Rep. Liz Cheney’s campaign.
A bill that will restrict voters from changing party affiliation to influence the results of other parties’ primary elections has reached its farthest point in the Wyoming Legislature. But Gov. Mark Gordon has so far been noncommittal on whether he’d sign, veto or let it pass unsigned.
Resurrected after failing in a committee, an effort to get rid of crossover voting for Wyoming primary elections is close to landing on Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk. But that hasn’t stopped heated debate with supporters saying it protects the integrity of political parties and opponents claiming it’s outright “corruption.”
Voters changing parties on primary election day closer to being history as Wyoming lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill to end the practice. House Bill 103 had been dead until it was resurrected through a rarely used rule.
A bill that would make it illegal for voters to change party affiliation after candidates announce they’re running for office had been killed by the Wyoming Legislature. But the state Senate revived it Tuesday.
A Senate committee Tuesday torpedoed a pair of amendments Secretary of State Chuck Gray crafted that would have given his office authority over county clerks to question and remove election equipment.
The House Corporations Committee passed legislation by an 8 – 1 vote that would make ballot harvesting a felony in Wyoming.
Wyoming elections would be subject to post-election audits and early voting windows would be shortened under a bill advanced by a legislative committee Tuesday.
A bill that will restrict crossover voting in Wyoming passed through a legislative committee on Monday. The bill would allow voters to change their party affiliation up to 45 days before the primary election.
While some call sending unsolicited absentee ballots to voters a “predatory” campaign practice, others say it’s just being “accommodating.” Legislators are debating the tactic used by Liz Cheney and whether her mailers were unethical.
Citing “ballot exhaustion,” costs and potential to confuse voters, a Wyoming House committee killed a proposal that would have allowed state municipalities to test ranked choice voting.
State Sen Lynn Hutchings told Cowboy State Daily that when she arrived at a polling place to vote, she realized she had no form of identification besides her concealed-carry permit. She said, “I’m a state legislator. I’m going to fix that.”
Sec of State Chuck Gray lobbied against a bill that would have required special elections to fill seats of elected officials if more than half of a term remained. The legislative committee rejected the bill by a 5-3 vote.
Sec of State Chuck Gray scored a victory on Wednesday as a bill that would have prevented ballot inspections was defeated in a House committee. He lobbied members of the committee to vote against it.
While crossover voting didn’t help former Rep. Liz Cheney at all, state Rep. Jeremy Haroldson is reintroducing legislation that would stop the practice of crossover voting in Wyoming primary elections.
The 10th Court of Appeals is still considering arguments in a lawsuit that will determine how close people can campaign around polling places. Plaintiffs believe they should be able to campaign and gather signatures much closer to polling places.
Perennial political candidate Rex Rammell, who has had many brushes with the law in the past, has been cited for operating his giant RV in a prohibited area on federal land where vehicles are prohibited.
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The Wyoming Attorney General’s office has determined that Park County doesn’t have a right to allow a group of citizens to inspect and count ballots by hand.
Voter turnout in August was the highest on record for a Wyoming primary election and the largest percentage of eligible voter turnout in a primary since 1994. As for the general, voters stayed home.
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Former President Trump’s deputy campaign manager, who was in Casper for the state GOP meeting over the weekend, said that any margin of victory was significant because “Nancy Pelosi was fired.”
GOP Chair Frank Eathorne said the Wyoming Republican Party’s effort to train and deploy 203 volunteers to watch over voters across the state during the general election was a “massive successful effort.”
Sara Burlingame, a Democrat who lost a bid to reclaim her legislative seat, said some Democrats lost to “alt-right candidates who wouldn’t know how to even read a bill, let alone engage it critically.”
State Rep. Chad Banks, D-Rock Springs, said concerns about national-level issues such as transgender rights made a difference in his failed reelection bid Tuesday.
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Two of the newly-elected members of the Natrona County School Board said they specifically ran to remove the Casper high schools of the books “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” and “Gender Queer.”
With many Republican races decided in the August primary, this year’s mid-term general election drew less interest from Cowboy State voters.
The Wyoming Association of Municipalities says the passage of Amendment A gives cities and counties more freedom to invest and realize greater returns with public money.
Newly elected Sheriff Aaron Applehans from Albany County said he was committed to transparency and direct contact with the public.
Republicans had a successful outing in Tuesday’s election, adding even more seats to their super-majority in the Wyoming Legislature. Democrats, on the other hand, dropped from nine state lawmakers to seven.
State Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, now has a clear path to become Wyoming Senate president after winning re-election for the fourth time.
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Rep. Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, secured a solid win over Democrat challenger Merav Ben-David in House District 46.
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Republican Tamara Trujillo’s win inHouse District 44 over former legislator Sara Burlingame turns Cheyenne’s state legislative delegation all red.
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Republican Jon Conrad of Mountain View easily fended off a formidable write-in opponent and a Democrat in Tuesday’s general election for House District 19 in southwestern Wyoming.
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State Sen. Stephan Pappas, R-Cheyenne, held off well-funded Democratic challenger Marcie Kindred on Tuesday night to win his third term in the Wyoming Senate.
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State Rep. Trey Sherwood, D-Laramie, held off strong push by Republican challenger Bryan Shuster to retain her House District 14 seat in the Wyoming Legislature on Tuesday.
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Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans, a Laramie Democrat, made Wyoming political history Tuesday by becoming the state’s first elected black sheriff.
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Republican Sarah Penn is the next Wyoming House of Representatives delegate for the Wind River Indian Reservation defeating incumbent Andi LeBeau (D-Ethete).
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The Teton County Commission went full blue in Tuesday’s general election – which could mean slower, tightly controlled housing development in the region.
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Ember Oakley (R-Riverton) has won reelection to a second term in the Wyoming House of Representatives.
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Rep. Lloyd Larsen (R-Lander) has won a sixth term in the Wyoming House of Representatives, beating Independent challenger Jeff Martin by roughly 20% of the vote as preliminary results for his district arrived late Tuesday.
A sixth-generation Wyomingite and the state’s Republican nominee, Megan Degenfelder beat Democratic opponent Sergio Maldonado in Tuesday’s general election for the seat.
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Chuck Gray, a state representative from Casper, is Wyoming’s next Secretary of State. He ran unopposed in the general election after defeating state Sen. Tara Nethercott for the Republican nomination in August.
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State Treasurer Curt Meier and State Auditor Kristi Racines won re-election on Tuesday night are being unopposed in general election.
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Voters casting their ballots at a Cheyenne polling place Tuesday said claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, abortion, and a horrible economy were their top issues for voting.
While exiting the polls after voting on Tuesday, congressional candidate Harriet Hageman predicted the expected “red wave” was going to be big.
Whichever candidate wins the election for Wyoming’s Albany County Sheriff will face a tall order of continuing to reform the sheriff’s office and rebuilding its reputation with the public.
Although Wyoming is one of the most conservative states in the country, the Republican Party has lost 1,335 registered Republicans in the last month.
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Write-in gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien was overwhelmingly defeated by incumbent Gov. Mark Gordon in the primary losing by nearly 50,000 votes but that hasn’t stopped volunteers from embarking on a write-in campaign.
Amendment A would give Wyoming municipalities more leeway in making higher-risk investments if they choose. Proponents say they can manage their money better and realize greater returns, while opponents argue for less risk with public money.
The Crook County Republican Party has taken an official vote to not offer financial support or its endorsement support to Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and instead will back the candidate voters didn’t elect in the Aug. 16 primary.
Campaign finance reports show U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney spent an average of about $255 per vote in her landslide loss to challenger Harriet Hageman, who spent $43 per vote based on reported spending.
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One supporter of candidate Paul Vogelheim said it was “reprehensible” of the Liz Storer campaign to use Vogelheim’s deceased wife as a “political play for some big headline.”
The Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee has approved a draft bill allowing municipalities to try out ranked choice elections for nonpartisan races through a pilot test program.
Sen. Ogden Driskill, one of the most senior members of the Legislature, called foul on the Crook County GOP and its chairman, who’s actively working on campaign of write-in opponent.
Incumbent Democratic House Rep. Andi LeBeau debated Republican challenger Sarah Penn on issues unique to the Wind River Indian Reservation, such as the federal government’s control of the land, littered garbage heaps and a two-year mask mandate.
Discussion about federally certifying Wyoming’s election equipment Friday morning grew heated when addressing the security of the state’s elections and voting machines.
Trying to unseat a Republican incumbent in the reddest state in the nation isn’t easy. But Democrat Merav Ben-David is attempting the feat with creative billboards lined up on Interstate 80 through Laramie.
Libertarian Jared Baldes said Thursday night during a debate that he would consider supporting a ban on ballot drop boxes if elected governor.
State Rep. John Romero-Martinez said he’s strongly considering reentering the House District 44 race as a write-in candidate because of his cousin and primary opponent Tamara Trujillo’s stance on Medicaid expansion.
A proposal to strip likely incoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray of his powers in favor of a nonpartisan elections commission is likely dead, according to Rep. Dan Zwonitzer.
Interim Secretary of State Karl Allred has sent a letter to the state’s 23 county clerks requesting they remove absentee ballot drop boxes.
If every Wyoming voter now registered as a Democrat votes in the upcoming general election, the party will keep its major-party recognition in the state.
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State Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, said comments Karl Allred made shortly before his appointment as interim Secretary of State should have disqualified him from being considered for the role.
A complaint filed this summer against U.S. Congress candidate Harriet Hageman with the Wyoming State Bar was centered around comments she made about the 2020 election.
Although everyone in attendance agreed that the election equipment performed without issue on Thursday. morning, Park County residents who observed the test remain unconvinced about election integrity and want paper ballots.
The 2022 election season opened in Wyoming on Friday with the commencement of absentee and early voting across the state. One election official said early voting on Friday was higher than the historical average.
