TORRINGTON – As voting continues in advance of the general election on November 5, the intensity of the campaigns is increasing to a fever pitch. The passionate rhetoric creates a political environment where it is often difficult to determine fact from fiction. Locally, residents have heard claims about election fraud raised on a national level and some have questioned how those concerns might be playing out in Goshen County. We have spoken with county voting officials and reviewed state practices to answer some of those questions.

How are voter rolls maintained? Why did I have to register again?

Wyoming state laws require county clerks to review the voter rolls every year. Those who did not vote in the previous general election receive a notice in February of the following year. That notice can be returned to request that their registration remain active. If a resident does not vote in the general election and does not request to keep their registration active, they will be removed from the voter roll.

If you have been removed, you can register during early voting at the county clerk’s office, but you will need to both register and vote at the same time. You can also register on election day at your polling location. Be sure to bring proper identification, such as a driver’s license.

Does Wyoming use Dominion Voting Systems?

Many, including former President Trump, have identified Dominion Voting Systems as a weakness in the 2020 election. The State of Wyoming has not used Dominion equipment since the 2018 election. In 2020, all counties in Wyoming received new equipment from Election Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S), a registered manufacturer with the United States Election Assistance Commission. In preparation for the 2024 general election, the voting systems have undergone state and county testing, which has resulted in no errors or irregularities.

Are non-citizens casting ballots?

Citizenship is a requirement for registering to vote in Wyoming. If a person is clearly not a United States citizen, such as if an individual shows up to the polls with identification from a foreign country, they would not be given a ballot. If that person’s citizenship is in question, they would be given a provisional ballot, which will be verified later and either counted or excluded based on the results of the verification.

Wyoming has only had three instances of voter fraud since 2000 according to the Heritage Foundation, a right leaning political organization. One involved a politician who was using a prior address on her registration, one was a couple who had moved but filed an absentee ballot in the district they had moved from, and the third was an individual who voted despite being a felon who was ineligible to vote. There has been no proven widespread election fraud in Wyoming. 

“Election Security is a really big issue and we do a lot of things to make voting security in our county. We have seals with numbers to verify the numbers match overnight, we have video cameras on the equipment, we go above and beyond to make sure that no one will tamper with our equipment," Goshen County Clerk Mary Feagler stated.

If you believe that there has been a violation of the state election code, the Wyoming Secretary of State has an election code complaint form or can be reached at 307-777-5860.