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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Wyoming:
In Wyoming, all polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]
To vote in Wyoming, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Wyoming, at least 18 years of age, not have been declared mentally incompetent by a court, and not convicted of a felony unless pardoned or otherwise had their rights restored.[3][4]
The registration deadline is 14 days before the election, but voters may also register and vote on the same day during the absentee voting period or on election day. There are three ways to register to vote in Wyoming: in person at the office of the county or town clerk, by mail the by submitting a completed application form to the county clerk, or at the polls on Election Day. A voter must provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.[3][5]
Wyoming does not practice automatic voter registration.[6]
Wyoming does not permit online voter registration.[6]
Wyoming allows same-day voter registration.[5]
To register to vote in Wyoming, a voter must be a resident of a precinct in the state for not less than 30 days before the election.[5][7]
On July 1, 2025, Wyoming will begin requiring verification of citizenship for voter registration. Eligible documents are state and tribal IDs that do not indicate the individual is not a U.S. citizen, passports, certificates of citizenship or naturalization, a selective service registration acknowledgement card, documentation of a birth abroad issued by the State Department, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate.[5][4]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[8] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Wyoming permits early voting. Learn more by contacting the appropriate county clerk.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Wyoming. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[9]
No specific deadline is noted for absentee ballot applications. A completed absentee ballot must be received by election officials by 7 p.m. on Election Day.[9]
Voters in Wyoming must return their absentee ballots to their county clerk's office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. Voters may return their ballot in person or by mail. Ballots received after the deadline are not counted.[9]
Wyoming's laws do not specify who is allowed to return absentee ballots.[10]
Twenty states allow anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions, while 16 states allow anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot. Four states allow only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions, and two states required voters to return their ballots by mail. Eight states and D.C. do not specify who may return ballots.
Wyoming does not have a law related to drop boxes. Drop boxes are not currently in use.
Absentee voters in Wyoming must sign a statement attesting to their identity and eligibility to vote. Election judges examine the signatures on absentee ballots and reject ballots that lack a signature or that have other problems with the attestation. Rejected ballots are not counted. Wyoming does not have a cure provision, or a law providing for a process where election officials follow up with voters whose absentee ballots contain a signature discrepancy or lack the requisite signature.[11][12]
Thirty-three states have laws that included cure provisions, while 17 states do not. One state, Pennsylvania, allows counties to establish a cure process.
Wyoming voters can contact their county clerk's office for information about the status of their ballot.
Wyoming requires voters to present identification when voting. Generally, voters are required to present a photo ID, but there are two exceptions to that requirement that expire in 2029.
The following list of accepted ID was current as of June 2025. Click here for the Wyoming Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.[5][13]
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*Medicare and Medicaid insurance cards will no longer be an acceptable form of identification for voting purposes after December 31st, 2029.[14] |
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Thirty-five states require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 require voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 12 accept other forms of identification. The remaining 15 states do not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
Voters in Wyoming are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.[15][16][17]
(1) If the voter attempts to register to vote on election day and the voter does not have the proof required to vote, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
(2) If the voter has registered by mail and is voting in their first Wyoming federal election but does not have the required identification, the voter has the right to case a provisional ballot
(3) If a voter’s eligibility to vote is challenged and they can not provide the required proof of identity, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
(4) If the polls are kept open later because of a court order, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
A provisional ballot is rejected if "[t]he voter is not on the registration rolls and is registering for the first time on Election Day but did not present documentation at the polls or by close of business on the following day."[18]
Wyoming provisional ballots include directions on how to check whether your ballot was counted.[15]
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Wyoming utilizes a closed primary process.[19][5]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
In Wyoming, employees who do not have three consecutive hours to vote during their non-work period must be provided with one hour of paid leave at their employer's convenience:
| “ | (a) Any person entitled to vote at any primary or general election or special election to fill a vacancy in the office of representatives in the congress of the United States is, on the day of such election, entitled to absent himself from any service or employment in which he is then engaged or employed for a period of one (1) hour, other than meal hours, the hour being at the convenience of the employer, between the time of opening and closing of the polls. Such elector shall not, because of so absenting himself, lose any pay, providing he actually casts his legal vote.
(b) This section shall not apply to an employee who has three (3) or more consecutive nonworking hours during the time the polls are open.[20][14] |
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Twenty-eight states require employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies vary as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.
Wyoming state law defines as: "any form of campaigning, including the display of campaign signs or distribution of campaign literature, the soliciting of signatures to any petition or the canvassing or polling of voters, except exit polling by news media, within one hundred (100) yards on the day of a primary, general or special election and within one hundred (100) feet on all other days, of any public entrance to the building in which the polling place is located."[21] Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by six months in a county jail, a fine of not more than one $1,000, or both.[22]
Individuals convicted of certain felonies automatically have their rights restored five years after the completion of their sentence, including probation and parole. Individuals convicted of some felonies never regain their right to vote.[23]
According to the Wyoming Department of Corrections, "W.S. §7-13-105 will allow individuals that are convicted as a first time, non-violent felon, to have their right to vote, along with the rights lost as outlined in W.S. §6-10-106 to be restored. The rights restored under W.S. §7-13-105 include the ability to be an elector or juror or to hold any office of honor, trust or profit within this state or to use or knowingly possess any firearm."[23] An individual discharged before July 1, 2023, must submit a request for a restoration of rights certificate with a copy of a government issued driver's license or ID. Any eligible individual discharged after that date will have their rights automatically restored.[23]
Individuals convicted of a federal felony never regain the right to vote without a pardon.[23] Individuals convicted of disqualifying felonies also never automatically regain the right to vote. According to the Wyoming Department of Corrections, this "includes murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, sexual assault in the first or second degree, robbery, aggravated assault, strangulation of a household member, aircraft hijacking, arson in the first or second degree, aggravated burglary, a violation of W.S. § 6-2-314(a)(i) or 6-2-315(a)(ii), third, or subsequent, domestic battery under W.S.§ 6-2-511(a) and (b)(iii) or a violation of W.S. § 6-5-204(b), Interference with a Peace Officer (includes attempt and conspiracy to the underlying offense, as well)."[23]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[6]
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[24] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[25]
Wyoming law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:[26][27]
Wyoming does not maintain an inactive voter list. State law authorizes county clerks to investigate the qualifications of any voter and to conduct an investigation using criteria such as their address, vehicle registration, employment, property ownership, and residency qualifications. If a clerk determines an individual to be unqualified to vote in Wyoming, they are to remove their name from the registration list and send an immediate notice to the individual. The removed voter holds a right to appeal their removal.[28]
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."[29]
Twenty-five states are participating members in the ERIC program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have joined and participated in ERIC at some point.[30]
As of June 2025, Wyoming was not participating in the ERIC program.
Wyoming state law requires post-election audits. County election officials audit a statistically significant sample of ballots not to exceed 5% the total number of ballots cast. The audit must be completed by the first Thursday following an election. County clerks deliver audit results to the secretary of state no later than the day before the state canvass deadline.[31] Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[32][33]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have some form of post-election audit by law. Of these, 35 states and the District of Columbia require traditional post-election audits, while six states require risk-limiting post-election audits by law. Eight states use some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.[34][35]
In Wyoming, the secretary of state is the chief election official.[36] There is no state board of elections or equivalent authority. The secretary of state is elected by popular vote every four years in mid-term election years.
Click here to access the secretary of state's elections page.
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
On March 31, 2025, HB 156 became law without the signature or Gov, Mark Gordon (R).
The bill required individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote or updating their registration.[4] It established valid documentation as a state or tribal ID that did not indicate the individual was not a U.S. citizen, a U.S. passport, a certificates of citizenship or naturalization, a selective service registration acknowledgement card, documentation of a birth abroad issued by the State Department, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate.[4]The bill also established that an individual must be a resident of the state for at least 30 days before an election to be eligible to register to vote and vote in that election.[4]
Gov. Gordon said he would not sign the legislation because existing state and federal requirements made the legislation redundant and it also did not adequately clarify enforcement authority. He wrote, "Considering the constitutional requirements already present in our Constitution and statutes, I do not believe the tweaks in this Act will present much of a change from the diligence clerks currently exhibit, though there always is a potential for unintended consequences."[37]
Gordon also said that Section 2 of Article 6 of the Wyoming Constitution already required an individual be a Wyoming resident for at least one year before voting in an election in the state, but that the section was not enforced because it conflicted with the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which established a voting age of 18, and 52 U.S.C. § 10502, which said that "[n]o citizen of the United States who is otherwise qualified to vote in any election for President and Vice President shall be denied the right to vote... in such election because of the failure of such citizen to comply with any durational residency requirement of such State.[37][38]
Despite reservations, Gordon said, "Because I believe in adequate checks to ensure only qualified electors can vote, I am allowing this bill to become law despite the likelihood that it will invite litigation."[37]
Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R) praised passage of the bill, saying in a statement that, "HB 156 makes Wyoming the first state in the nation to apply proof of citizenship for registering to vote for all elections. This was the first priority of our conservative election integrity reform agenda. It will ensure that we protect Wyoming elections, and is also key in supporting President Trump’s pivotal work to have proof of citizenship for registering to vote with the SAVE Act at the federal level."[39]
Wyoming became the ninth state to adopt a law requiring a documentary proof of citizenship requirement to register to vote for at least some elections, although not all those state's laws were in effect at the time HB 156 passed.
On April 6, 2021, Governor Mark Gordon (R) signed HB0075 into law, establishing a photo identification requirement for voters in Wyoming. Under the law, acceptable forms of identification include valid forms of photo identification issued by a state, tribal or federal government, a Wyoming higher educational institution or public school, and Medicare and Medicaid insurance cards. Voters who cannot present acceptable identification are permitted to cast provisional ballots. The Department of Transportation is required to waive the fee on identification cards used solely for the purpose of voter identification.[13]
The Wyoming House of Representatives approved the original version of the bill on March 3, 2021, by a vote of 51-9. The Wyoming State Senate adopted an amended version of the bill on April 1, 2021, by a vote of 28-2. The House agreed to the Senate's amendments on April 1, 2021, by a vote of 51-8.[13]
Rep. Chuck Gray (R), who sponsored the bill, said, "Today's passage of my voter ID legislation is a victory for the citizens of Wyoming. It is a necessary function of our Republic to provide our citizens with confidence that our elections are secure, fair, and valid." Sen. Cale Case (R), who voted against the bill, said, "Who is waking up real early in the morning, and thinking they’re going to get to the polls before the actual person that is there to vote to misrepresent themselves as that person and to cast a vote? I’m having a little trouble understanding how this fraud comes about."[40]
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Wyoming.
| On the Ballot takes a look at the early returns from state election-related legislative activity in 2025. |
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Wyoming. The following information is included for each bill:
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
Ballotpedia publishes regular analysis of election administration legislation, including three full reports per year, providing ongoing coverage of legislative activity affecting election policy in each state. These reports deliver insights into partisan priorities, dive deep into notable trends, and highlight activity in key states.
Below are links to the most recent editions. Click here to see all past reports, and be on the lookout for more throughout the year!
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
In order to get on the ballot in Wyoming, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Wyoming. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Wyoming's one United States Representative and 90 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[41][42][43][44]
Wyoming was apportioned one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Wyoming after the 2020 census.
Wyoming is home to one at-large congressional district, making congressional redistricting unnecessary. State legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. State legislative district plans are subject to veto by the governor.[45]
In 2011, a joint legislative committee adopted the following guidelines for state legislative redistricting:[45]
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Wyoming can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Wyoming County Clerks
Wyoming Secretary of State, Elections Division
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
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