Voting in Wyoming
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Contents
- 1 Voter registration
- 2 Voting in elections
- 3 Absentee voting
- 4 Early voting
- 5 Convicted felons' voting rights
- 6 Election administration costs
- 7 Election agencies
- 8 Noteworthy events
- 9 Election policy ballot measures
- 10 Election policy legislation
- 11 Recent news
- 12 See also
- 13 External links
- 14 Footnotes
Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
This page includes the following:
- Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
- Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
- Absentee/mail-in voting rules[1]
- Early voting rules
- Convicted felons' voting rights
- Election administration costs report
- Election agencies list
- Election policy ballot measures list
- Election policy legislation list
Voter registration
To vote in Wyoming, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Wyoming, and at least 18 years of age.[2]
The registration deadline is 15 days before the election. There are three ways to register to vote in Wyoming. One may register in person at the office of the county or town clerk. One may also mail the completed form to the county clerk. Voters can also register at the polls on Election Day.[2]
Automatic registration
Wyoming does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Wyoming does not permit online voter registration.
Same-day registration
Wyoming allows same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Wyoming, you must be a resident of a precinct in the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.
Verification of citizenship
Wyoming does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Voting in elections
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Wyoming requires voters to present identification when voting.
The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2021. Click here for the Wyoming Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.[3]
| “ |
(I) A Wyoming driver's license as defined by W.S. 31‑7‑102(a)(xxv); |
” |
Background
As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[5][6]
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Wyoming, all polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[7]
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in Wyoming
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Wyoming utilizes an open primary process.[8][9][10][11]
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Wyoming. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[12]
No specific deadline is noted for absentee ballot applications. A completed absentee ballot must be received by election officials by 7 p.m. on Election Day.[12]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Wyoming permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
As of April 2021, 38 states and the District of Columbia permitted early voting. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day. States that do not permit early voting still permit some or all citizens to vote early by mail—often known as absentee voting. Some states allow no-excuse absentee voting, while others require an excuse. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted among early voting states. Click here for early voting laws by state.[13]
Convicted felons' voting rights
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
According to the Wyoming Department of Corrections, "Effective July 1, 2017, W.S. §7-13-105 allows individuals convicted, that are first time nonviolent felons, to automatically have their right to vote restored if they completed their supervision or were discharged from an institution on or after January 1, 2010." Convicted felons who "discharged from Wyoming Department of Corrections’ custody or supervision prior to January 1, 2010, or those who have a nonviolent felony conviction outside of the state of Wyoming or a nonviolent felony conviction under federal law may apply to have their voting rights restored."[14]
Individuals who do not meet the qualifications above do not regain the right to vote unless pardoned.[15]
Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[16][17]
Election administration costs
National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.[18]
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both) |
| Alaska Delaware |
Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island |
Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia |
Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington |
| Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018 | |||
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Wyoming can contact the following state and federal agencies.
Wyoming Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 200 West 24th Street
- Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002
- Telephone: 307-777-5860
- Email: elections@wyo.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
Noteworthy events
2021
On April 6, 2021, Governor Mark Gordon (R) signed HB0075 into law, establishing a photo identification requirement for voters in Wyoming. Under the law, acceptable forms of identification include valid forms of photo identification issued by a state, tribal or federal government, a Wyoming higher educational institution or public school, and Medicare and Medicaid insurance cards. Voters who cannot present acceptable identification are permitted to cast provisional ballots. The Department of Transportation is required to waive the fee on identification cards used solely for the purpose of voter identification.[3]
The Wyoming House of Representatives approved the original version of the bill on March 3, 2021, by a vote of 51-9. The Wyoming State Senate adopted an amended version of the bill on April 1, 2021, by a vote of 28-2. The House agreed to the Senate's amendments on April 1, 2021, by a vote of 51-8.[3]
Rep. Chuck Gray (R), who sponsored the bill, said, "Today's passage of my voter ID legislation is a victory for the citizens of Wyoming. It is a necessary function of our Republic to provide our citizens with confidence that our elections are secure, fair, and valid." Sen. Cale Case (R), who voted against the bill, said, "Who is waking up real early in the morning, and thinking they’re going to get to the polls before the actual person that is there to vote to misrepresent themselves as that person and to cast a vote? I’m having a little trouble understanding how this fraud comes about."[19]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Wyoming.
- Wyoming Initiative and Referendum, Amendment 2 (1968)
- Wyoming Legislature Appointments and Elections, Amendment 3 (1972)
- Wyoming Qualifications of Electors, Amendment 2 (1970)
- Wyoming Special Session, Constitutional Amendment B (2002)
- Wyoming Suffrage Not Based on Mental Status, Amendment B (1996)
Election policy legislation
The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Wyoming state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wyoming voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections in Wyoming
- Wyoming elections, 2022
- Wyoming elections, 2021
- Wyoming elections, 2020
- Wyoming elections, 2019
- Wyoming elections, 2018
- Wyoming elections, 2017
- Wyoming elections, 2016
- Wyoming elections, 2015
- Wyoming elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wyoming Secretary of State, "Voting," accessed October 8, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wyoming Legislature, "HB0075 - Voter identification," accessed April 13, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," June 5, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "Polling Place Locator," accessed October 17, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "Welcome to the FAQs," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Wyoming Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Laws Governing Early Voting," August 2, 2019
- ↑ Wyoming Department of Corrections, "Restoration of Voting Rights," accessed December 12, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," October 14, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ American Civil Liberties Union, "State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws," accessed September 13, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018
- ↑ Casper Star Tribune, "Voter ID bill passes Wyoming Legislature," April 9, 2021
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