Voter Purge Means Many Need To Re-Register For The 2024 Election

MCDickerson

CHEYENNE - AARP Wyoming recommends Wyomingites check their voter registration status for 2024 as Wyoming Secretary of State data reveals there are more than 86,000 fewer registered voters in 2024 than in 2022.

The data from 2022 can be seen here, with more current numbers seen here. After the 2022 election, Wyoming had over 302,000 registered voters, compared to just 218,000 at-present.

“If you voted in the last general election in 2022, you should remain on the voter rolls and won’t need to re-register with the county clerk,” says AARP State President Sam Shumway. “However, if you or a loved one didn’t vote in Wyoming during the 2022 General Election (November of 2022), we recommend you register right away as rules that will make the process more difficult could be coming.”

What likely happened 

Wyoming law requires the state’s County Clerks purge their voter rolls every two years, meaning clerks are required to remove the names of voters who did not vote in the most recent general election.

In other words, if you voted in the presidential election of 2020 but not the general election in 2022 (even if you voted in the primary), you have likely been purged from the state’s voter rolls. This means you will need to re-register with your county clerk before you are allowed to vote in 2024.

Wyoming does generally have an ebb and flow in voter registration numbers when voter registrations are purged in February after an election year. However, higher than normal voter turnout for the 2020 Presidential Election, combined with near record low voter turnout for the 2022 General Election has resulted in more than 86,000 voters being purged from the rolls.

Routinely, Wyoming’s County Clerks send postcards to the last known address of those being purged, encouraging those voters to contact their clerk if they wish to remain a registered voter in Wyoming. Those contacts were made in 2023.

Other Reasons To Contact Your Clerk

There are other changes to Wyoming’s 2024 election cycle to be aware of as well due to recent changes in legislation. However, if you did vote in the 2022 general election, those changes could be minimal.

“If you voted in the 2022 General Election, and are registered in the party whose primary election you want to vote in, nothing more is required of you,” says Shumway. “If you want to change your party affiliation for the primary, make sure you contact your clerk by May 15.”

Voters in the state’s primary election need to register their affiliation with a party 96 days before the election. In 2024, that means registering party affiliation by May 15. In the past Wyomingites were able to change party affiliation at any time, including on election day. Now, voters will be locked into voting in a party primary. That change came as a result of HB103 - Political Party Affiliation Declaration and changes passed by the Wyoming Legislature in 2023.

The number of days when voters can participate in early voting has been reduced from 45 days to just 28. This change was thanks to SF153 - Election Security, which was also passed by the Wyoming Legislature in 2023.

Shumway adds that Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s proposed changes to the state’s voting rules, released this fall, could also make it difficult to register to vote for those who do not have valid, current driver's licenses, such as nursing home residents or older Wyomingites who have stopped driving. He recommends those who need to re-register to vote do so quickly.

Find Contact information for Wyoming’s County Clerks by clicking here.

How to Re-Register To Vote In Wyoming

Prospective voters in Wyoming can register by visiting their local county clerks. They will be required to fill out this form and present valid ID, which may be any one or more of the following:

• Wyoming Driver’s License;
• United States Passport;
• Driver's License or Identification Card issued by any State or Outlying Possession of the United States;
• Identification Card issued by the Federal Government, any State or Local Government, or an Agency thereof;
• A tribal ID of any Federally Recognized Tribe;
• Photo Identification Card issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming Community College, or a Wyoming Public School;
• United States Military Card; or
• Identification Card issued to a Dependent of a member of the United States Armed Forces.

OR

Any two or more of the following documents together shall constitute proof of the individual's identity:

• Certification of United States Citizenship;
• Certificate of Naturalization;
• United States Military Draft Record;
• Voter's Registration Card from another State or County;
• United States Social Security Card;
• Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State;
• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate bearing an official seal; or
• Any other form of identification issued by an official agency of the United States or a State.

According to the Secretary of State’s website, if you cannot register in person at any of your county's locations, you may register by mail by sending a copy of the application form and ID listed above.

In Laramie County, Clerk Debra Lee will host a voter registration pop-up at the Laramie County Library’s Cottonwood Room on Sunday, March 24 from 1-5 p.m.