Learn The Process

Following one of the lowest voter turnouts in the primary election since 2016, Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett encouraged more voter involvement—and education—ahead of the general election.

Her comments came during the August 26 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) as she provided the board with a post-election update.

Low Turnout

“Turnout was low, as you know, about 56%. That’s 10 to 15% lower than I anticipated it would be. We had 5,388 registered voters when we started,” said Bartlett. “We did get 198 new registrants and only 70 change forms. We had about 555 change forms two years ago. Obviously, the legislature prohibiting filing changes after the first day of filing in May drastically reduced the changes. The only changes would be name change or address.”

Prior to the 2023 General Session of the Wyoming Legislature, Wyoming residents could change their party affiliation up to the day of the primary election. This was most notable during the 2022 Primary Election when Democrats in the state appeared to crossover to vote in the contentious Republican primary race between then-incumbent Liz Cheney and challenger Harriet Hageman. House Bill 103, once signed into law by Governor Mark Gordon, prevented any party affiliation changes following the filing date for the primary election and prevented party changes two weeks ahead of the general election.

Passionate, but Educated

During her update to the commissioners, Bartlett thanked the other county departments which helped the clerk’s office on election day.

“Buildings and grounds, they helped set up, deliver and tear down equipment. Law enforcement, they did walk throughs of some polling places for us,” said Bartlett. “People are very passionate about their elections these days, and should be.”

Bartlett added that, while people are passionate about the process, they should also educate themselves.

“I get being passionate, but when our integrity is questioned, it’s insulting. Especially by people who don’t understand the process and nobody shows up at our testing and only half the people who are registered are voting. I think that’s an issue,” said Bartlett. “I hope to encourage more people to be involved. Come to the testing, call our office, ask questions. We’re there to help.”

This year, Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Wyoming’s county clerks butted heads over a number of election issues ahead of the primary election. In July, Gray sent out a letter to county clerks in Wyoming requesting they abandon the use of drop boxes ahead of early voting for the primary election, according to original reporting from WyoFile. A number of counties—including Carbon County—opted to keep their drop boxes despite the request from Gray.

Additionally, just eight days before the primary election, Gray requested a retest of ballot machines following a formal complaint by the Wyoming Republican Party to the Secretary of State’s Office over a faulty test by the Laramie County Clerk’s Office. According to reporting from WyoFile, the suit coincided with fundraising emails which criticized Carbon County—among others—for allegedly making it difficult to access numbers used to test voting equipment.

Understanding The Process

According to Bartlett, the primary election in Carbon County—despite the low turnout—went well thanks primarily to the election judges.

‘We have over 80 judges county wide and we couldn’t do it without all of them,” said Bartlett. “We have multiple polling places, more than most because we’re so spread out.”

With 11 municipalities, Carbon County has 17 voting precincts and eight polling places. In Rawlins, the Jeffrey Memorial Center serves as the polling place for eight precincts spread across Rawlins, Sinclair and Muddy Gap.

“To take the time to be a judge, that’s a long day,” said Commissioner Garret Irene.

“Fourteen to 16 hours, depending, plus training on a different day,” said Bartlett. “They’re a super important part of the process and, thankfully, they keep coming back to us because their experience really does matter in those scenarios.”

Chairwoman Sue Jones said she encouraged anyone to volunteer as an election judge, adding that it would help people better understand the election process.

“I would encourage the state party people to take advantage of that,” said Bartlett.