With early voting numbers dropping, how will the new 2023 election laws reshape voter participation in Wyoming's general election?

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Wyoming’s 2023 election law changes are likely to shift participation away from early and mail voting and toward Election Day voting, while also making turnout a bit lower and less flexible than in past cycles. The biggest change is the shorter early-voting and absentee window: 28 days instead of 45. County clerks have already linked lower early numbers in several counties to that tighter schedule. It gives voters less time to request, receive and return absentee ballots, and election officials say that is especially difficult for home-bound voters and anyone relying on slower mail service. Ballots still must be in the clerk’s hands by 7 p.m. on Election Day, so late requests carry more risk of rejection. The new rules on party affiliation and residency could also reduce participation at the margins. Voters can no longer wait until the primary period to change party registration, and clerks say that has caused confusion. A new 30-day residency requirement has done the same. While those rules mattered most in primaries, they may still affect who is registered and ready for the general election. In practical terms, the general election will probably see fewer convenience voters using absentee ballots, more people showing up in person, and continued pressure on clerks to educate voters about deadlines, ID and residency documentation. In a state where Republican nominees are typically heavily favored, the laws are less likely to change outcomes than to reshape how and when Wyomi…

Harriet Hageman Wins Wyoming Senate Primary at 63, Cementing Trump’s Grip on Deep-Red State

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Harriet Hageman Wins Wyoming Senate Primary at 63, Cementing Trump’s Grip on Deep-Red State

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