Make sure you're registered to vote

How and when Wyoming residents can vote will be slightly different this year.

The August primary will be the first major election affected by two new voting laws that became law in 2023.

One rule, designed to prevent crossover voting, makes May 15 the last day that registered voters can change their political affiliation. Historically, voters could change their party affiliation at the polls on Election Day, and many are accustomed to doing so. Voters are now prohibited from changing party affiliation during the 96 days leading up to the primary election.

Wyoming’s primary elections are closed. The affiliation associated with a voter’s registration determines which primary — either Republican or Democratic — a voter is entitled to vote in. Voters must choose which primary they wish to vote in by May 15.

Qualified voters who are not yet registered will still be able to register and choose their party the day of.

The restriction does not apply to new voters registering after the deadline, such as someone who turns 18 after May 15, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Another new rule shortens the period for absentee voting. The previous 45-day absentee voting window was reduced to 28 days.

In Wyoming, absentee ballots are used for both mail-in voting and early in-person voting. Voters may request an absentee ballot at any time this year.

Finally, as required by state law, registered voters who did not vote in the 2022 general election have been purged from voter rolls. Voters removed from the county’s voting rolls will need to register to vote before being eligible to vote in the county. (Wyoming does permit same-day voter registration.)

More information about Wyoming’s voting laws can be found on the Secretary of State’s website (sos.wyo.gov/Elections/)