If Wyoming voters want to change their party affiliation, they had better get moving. May 15th is the last day registered voters can switch parties under new rules adopted last year. Before now, voters could change their party affiliation at the polls on Election Day. Also, the window for absentee voting has been shortened from 45 to 28 days.
Meanwhile, the window for absentee voting — also known as early voting — is shorter than before for most voters. The previous 45-day time frame was reduced to 28 days.
Local election officials across the state have been trying to get the word out, but most are working with limited resources. When lawmakers passed the new regulations in 2023, funding for additional voter education was not included in either bill.
“We had hoped for a more robust educational component,” Malcolm Ervin, Platte County clerk and president of the County Clerks’ Association of Wyoming, told WyoFile.
“Due to funding, and not having a statewide approach, each county is taking it on their own in order to really educate their voters in a way that they see fit.”
While different counties are taking different approaches, Ervin said their shared goal is to prevent voters from having to be turned away, but to also mitigate conflict in the event that occurs.
“For those that disagree with the policy decision, I beg for them to remember that it’s not our [election] judges that made that policy decision,” Ervin said. “They’re just the ones carrying out the will of the policymakers.”
The state’s top election official says his office is gearing up to also inform voters.
