Changes in affect ahead of primary election

The Wyoming Legislature has changed some of its dates and deadlines that take effect in the 2024 election.

The state has made a change to the date absentee ballots are sent out.

Absentee ballots used to go out 45 days ahead of the election, said Gywnn Bartlett, Carbon County Clerk. Now absentee ballots will be sent out 28 days ahead of the election.

This change does not apply to Uniformed and Overseas Citizens, Bartlett said. Those ballots will continue to be sent out 45 days ahead of the election.

The Primary Election will be held on August 20 and the General Election will be on November 5, as stated on https://sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2024/2024_Key_Election_Dates.pdf.

A second major change in the election laws relates to party affiliation.

"Party changes are prohibited from the first day of candidate filing through Primary Election Day," as stated on the Carbon County government website. "For 2024, this is May 16 through August 20. Also, absentee voting for non-UOCAVA voters is shortened from 45 days to 28 days."

“Prior to now, a voter could change their party affiliation anytime, including Election Day,” she said. “This is a policy decision by the Legislature.”

About 60 percent of voters participate in the Primary Election, she said. Typically 100 percent of voters come out for the General Election.

“Many races are decided in the Primary Election,” she said. Those nominated in the primary move on to the General Election.

For example, if two candidates from the same party are on the ballot in the Primary Election, only one will move on to the general, she said.

Wyoming has a process of clearing the voter rolls called a purge.

After a general election, any registered voter who did not vote is notified by the county clerk’s office, Bartlett said.

“If you want to remain a registered voter, you have to reply to our office,” she said. If the voter does not reply, he or she is no longer registered.

“This is Wyoming’s way of keeping voter rolls clear,” she said. “After the 2022 election, Carbon County notified 2,634 voters by USPS. “Only 468 responded that they wanted to remain registered.”

Many voters only vote in the presidential election and may still live in Wyoming, she said. If they do not respond to the notification, they may find they are no longer registered when they go to vote.

Anyone who is not currently registered to vote may vote up to and on Election Day, she said.

“Don’t wait to register to vote on Election Day –it’s a long line,” she said.

If a voter wants to wait to register to vote on Election Day, he or she must do so that at their polling place, she said.

Candidate filing is from May 16 to May 31.

“It’s important to say that everything we do is a public process, so we will test our voting machines prior to each election,” Bartlett said. The public is invited to attend.

Anyone who has questions may contact the clerk’s office, she said.

Contact information for the clerk’s office is posted at https://www.carboncountywy.gov/938/County-Clerk.