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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
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Committee backs bills to require paper ballots and prohibit ballot drop boxes
CHEYENNE — Legislators voted to sponsor bills addressing the state's use of paper ballots and ballot drop boxes during Friday's Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee meeting. The two bills, which would require paper ballots be the default voting method in each county and would prohibit the use of ballot drop boxes, are in alignment with legislation that Secretary of State Chuck Gray backed earlier this year. During the meeting, Gray repeatedly referred to President Trump's executive order 'Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,' saying these bills are essential to achieving the president's objectives. The bills also align with Gray's 'election integrity' agenda. Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Bryan Miller echoed Gray's concerns. 'National politics have driven a big distrust in the election system, and that distrust is very prevalent in Wyoming at the moment,' Miller said. 'Bottom line, the perception is the reality.' Though Gray and Miller insisted that these bills are essential to election security, opponents of the bills noted that they responded to perception, rather than addressing any documented errors. Wyoming League of Women Voters President Linda Barton told the committee that they should heavily consider the input of the county clerks, and avoid supporting legislation that takes away local control for the sake of national agendas. 'The bills before you today do not meet that standard,' Barton told the committee. 'Instead, they erect barriers; impose costly, unfunded mandates; reduce access, and risk undermining public trust in our elections.' Barton noted that voter access should be considered alongside election integrity. 'We must carefully consider the real-life effects on both election administration and voter access,' Barton said. 'For many Wyoming voters — shift workers, farmers, ranchers, people with health challenges, and those facing immediate harsh weather — barriers to voting are more than theoretical.' The committee was originally set to hear 11 bills Friday morning, but later voted to only work four for the sake of time. The committee also worked on two draft bills, one prohibiting 'ballot harvesting' and one addressing voter registration procedures, which will be revisited during their November meeting. Ballot harvesting refers to the practice of individuals collecting and submitting completed absentee or mail-in ballots on behalf of other voters, rather than the voters submitting their own ballots directly. Paper ballots The committee voted to sponsor the draft bill on pen and paper ballots, which would require counties to use pen and paper as the default method to mark ballots for Wyoming elections, with exceptions for people with disabilities. Laramie County is the only county in the state that doesn't currently provide pen and paper ballots as a default measure. Instead, the county uses an 'express voting' system as its default. Voters insert a card into a machine, select their candidates on a touchscreen and receive a printed ballot with a list of their votes. Gray specifically took issue with the barcodes produced during the process, which encodes the voters' selections. 'Relying on barcodes decreases the trust in our elections, because electors cannot verify that the barcodes on their ballots correspond with the candidates they voted for,' Gray said. 'This bill will increase confidence in our elections, because voters will trust that their ballot was counted accurately when they fill them out with pen and paper.' These electronic voting systems are largely used to increase accessibility for voters who may not be able to fill out a paper ballot without assistance. Gray noted that, further down the line, he would support accessing options that are still accessible, but do not include barcodes. There have been no documented cases of inconsistencies between barcodes and printed votes in Wyoming, Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin told the committee. There has been, however, one documented case in 2023, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, where the voter's selection shown on the machine-generated code differed from the selections that appeared on the human-readable printout, Ervin said. Further investigation showed that the code accurately reflected the voter's choices, but a programming error had caused the text version to be incorrect. The votes were tabulated correctly based on the code. 'That same coding error is not exclusive to the express vote,' Ervin said. 'It could happen on the paper ballot, as well.' These errors have strengthened the argument for testing counting systems prior to an election, as opposed to restricting methods of voting, Ervin said. The other issue with the bill is how difficult it would be for Laramie County to comply with the bill by the 2026 election cycle. Laramie County is the largest county in the state, home to 16% of the voting population. In an email correspondence presented to the committee by Mary Lankford, a lobbyist for the County Clerks Association of Wyoming, Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee wrote that the bill would 'completely upend Laramie County's elections, a recipe for disaster for Wyoming's largest county that could impact elections across the state.' According to Lee, Laramie County would have to completely change its operational plans and would have to acquire additional voting equipment. That equipment would also have to be installed and tested by the vendor prior to undergoing additional required logic and accuracy tests. 'Laramie County does not have the staff, money or time to make such a drastic change in voting operations,' Lee wrote. The committee voted amend the bill's effective date to 'effective immediately' and then voted to sponsor the draft bill, with Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, and co-chair Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, opposed. Ballot boxes The committee also voted to sponsor a bill that would prohibit the use of drop boxes for the delivery of ballots. Instead, absentee ballots would have to be mailed in or delivered by hand. 'I remain convinced that the use of unstaffed and unattended ballot drop boxes is not secure or the best means for our state,' Gray told the committee, referencing a few instances in which ballot boxes were tampered with, including recent arson cases in Oregon. One of the major concerns with prohibiting the use of ballot boxes is limiting voter access. Many blue-collar workers in Wyoming have jobs that require long hours, Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, told the committee. 'My concern all along with this bill was the fact that it was eliminating the ability of a working man or woman to come into town at 7 o'clock at night and drop their ballot off,' Landen said. Gray responded to Landen's concern, saying that the working man was a priority of himself and Trump. 'Working people support these measures,' Gray said. 'There's no question about that.' He offered no supporting evidence to back up that assertion, however. Yin also pointed out that mailing ballots would effectively send them out of the state, as Wyoming no longer has a local U.S. Postal Service distribution center. The nearest distribution center is in Denver, Colorado, or Salt Lake City, Utah. 'It goes out of the state and then it comes back,' Yin said. 'And so how do I know that my ballot is more secured in the postal collection box than a box that's in the county courthouse in my county and will never leave the county?' Gray noted that election-related mail should not leave the state. The committee rejected an amendment to allow voters to deliver their ballots to a drop box in a county or other governmental entity's building; the box would be accessible from the building's exterior. The amendment would have required the drop box to remain under constant video surveillance, and only a county clerk or their designee would have access to the secured receptacle. The committee amended the bill's effective date to 'effective immediately' and then voted to sponsor the draft bill, with Landen, Yin and Case opposed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Committee backs bills to require paper ballots and prohibit ballot drop boxes
CHEYENNE — Legislators voted to sponsor bills addressing the state's use of paper ballots and ballot drop boxes during Friday's Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee meeting. The two bills, which would require paper ballots be the default voting method in each county and would prohibit the use of ballot drop boxes, are in alignment with legislation that Secretary of State Chuck Gray backed earlier this year. During the meeting, Gray repeatedly referred to President Trump's executive order 'Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,' saying these bills are essential to achieving the president's objectives. The bills also align with Gray's 'election integrity' agenda. Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Bryan Miller echoed Gray's concerns. 'National politics have driven a big distrust in the election system, and that distrust is very prevalent in Wyoming at the moment,' Miller said. 'Bottom line, the perception is the reality.' Though Gray and Miller insisted that these bills are essential to election security, opponents of the bills noted that they responded to perception, rather than addressing any documented errors. Wyoming League of Women Voters President Linda Barton told the committee that they should heavily consider the input of the county clerks, and avoid supporting legislation that takes away local control for the sake of national agendas. 'The bills before you today do not meet that standard,' Barton told the committee. 'Instead, they erect barriers; impose costly, unfunded mandates; reduce access, and risk undermining public trust in our elections.' Barton noted that voter access should be considered alongside election integrity. 'We must carefully consider the real-life effects on both election administration and voter access,' Barton said. 'For many Wyoming voters — shift workers, farmers, ranchers, people with health challenges, and those facing immediate harsh weather — barriers to voting are more than theoretical.' The committee was originally set to hear 11 bills Friday morning, but later voted to only work four for the sake of time. The committee also worked on two draft bills, one prohibiting 'ballot harvesting' and one addressing voter registration procedures, which will be revisited during their November meeting. Ballot harvesting refers to the practice of individuals collecting and submitting completed absentee or mail-in ballots on behalf of other voters, rather than the voters submitting their own ballots directly. Paper ballots The committee voted to sponsor the draft bill on pen and paper ballots, which would require counties to use pen and paper as the default method to mark ballots for Wyoming elections, with exceptions for people with disabilities. Laramie County is the only county in the state that doesn't currently provide pen and paper ballots as a default measure. Instead, the county uses an 'express voting' system as its default. Voters insert a card into a machine, select their candidates on a touchscreen and receive a printed ballot with a list of their votes. Gray specifically took issue with the barcodes produced during the process, which encodes the voters' selections. 'Relying on barcodes decreases the trust in our elections, because electors cannot verify that the barcodes on their ballots correspond with the candidates they voted for,' Gray said. 'This bill will increase confidence in our elections, because voters will trust that their ballot was counted accurately when they fill them out with pen and paper.' These electronic voting systems are largely used to increase accessibility for voters who may not be able to fill out a paper ballot without assistance. Gray noted that, further down the line, he would support accessing options that are still accessible, but do not include barcodes. There have been no documented cases of inconsistencies between barcodes and printed votes in Wyoming, Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin told the committee. There has been, however, one documented case in 2023, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, where the voter's selection shown on the machine-generated code differed from the selections that appeared on the human-readable printout, Ervin said. Further investigation showed that the code accurately reflected the voter's choices, but a programming error had caused the text version to be incorrect. The votes were tabulated correctly based on the code. 'That same coding error is not exclusive to the express vote,' Ervin said. 'It could happen on the paper ballot, as well.' These errors have strengthened the argument for testing counting systems prior to an election, as opposed to restricting methods of voting, Ervin said. The other issue with the bill is how difficult it would be for Laramie County to comply with the bill by the 2026 election cycle. Laramie County is the largest county in the state, home to 16% of the voting population. In an email correspondence presented to the committee by Mary Lankford, a lobbyist for the County Clerks Association of Wyoming, Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee wrote that the bill would 'completely upend Laramie County's elections, a recipe for disaster for Wyoming's largest county that could impact elections across the state.' According to Lee, Laramie County would have to completely change its operational plans and would have to acquire additional voting equipment. That equipment would also have to be installed and tested by the vendor prior to undergoing additional required logic and accuracy tests. 'Laramie County does not have the staff, money or time to make such a drastic change in voting operations,' Lee wrote. The committee voted amend the bill's effective date to 'effective immediately' and then voted to sponsor the draft bill, with Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, and co-chair Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, opposed. Ballot boxes The committee also voted to sponsor a bill that would prohibit the use of drop boxes for the delivery of ballots. Instead, absentee ballots would have to be mailed in or delivered by hand. 'I remain convinced that the use of unstaffed and unattended ballot drop boxes is not secure or the best means for our state,' Gray told the committee, referencing a few instances in which ballot boxes were tampered with, including recent arson cases in Oregon. One of the major concerns with prohibiting the use of ballot boxes is limiting voter access. Many blue-collar workers in Wyoming have jobs that require long hours, Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, told the committee. 'My concern all along with this bill was the fact that it was eliminating the ability of a working man or woman to come into town at 7 o'clock at night and drop their ballot off,' Landen said. Gray responded to Landen's concern, saying that the working man was a priority of himself and Trump. 'Working people support these measures,' Gray said. 'There's no question about that.' He offered no supporting evidence to back up that assertion, however. Yin also pointed out that mailing ballots would effectively send them out of the state, as Wyoming no longer has a local U.S. Postal Service distribution center. The nearest distribution center is in Denver, Colorado, or Salt Lake City, Utah. 'It goes out of the state and then it comes back,' Yin said. 'And so how do I know that my ballot is more secured in the postal collection box than a box that's in the county courthouse in my county and will never leave the county?' Gray noted that election-related mail should not leave the state. The committee rejected an amendment to allow voters to deliver their ballots to a drop box in a county or other governmental entity's building; the box would be accessible from the building's exterior. The amendment would have required the drop box to remain under constant video surveillance, and only a county clerk or their designee would have access to the secured receptacle. The committee amended the bill's effective date to 'effective immediately' and then voted to sponsor the draft bill, with Landen, Yin and Case opposed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wyoming's League of Women Voters supports lawsuit against Gray on voting laws
CHEYENNE — Since Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray asked a federal court to toss a lawsuit filed against him, the League of Women Voters of Wyoming has come out in support of the lawsuit, arguing Gray's support of new state voting laws defies the U.S. Constitution's protection of a fundamental right to vote. The lawsuit, filed by the Equality State Policy Center in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming in May, calls for a halt of the imposition of House Bill 156, which Gov. Mark Gordon let go into law without his signature earlier this year after approval from the Wyoming Legislature. The bill, which became law July 1 and was Gray's top priority in the 2025 legislative session, requires Wyoming voters to be state residents for at least 30 days before casting their ballots, and present proof of residency and citizenship when registering to vote. ESPC argues HB 156 causes an undue burden on the right to vote — particularly for women, as well as Hispanic, young and low-income voters — and is unconstitutionally vague as written. The lawsuit names Gray and each of Wyoming's 23 county clerks as defendants in the case, and argues HB 156 violates the First, Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The League of Women Voters (LWV) filed an amicus brief in the case Monday. Though not joining the case, this action shows support for ESPC's lawsuit against Gray and Wyoming's county clerks. 'HB 156 will only create more bureaucracy that prevents Wyoming citizens from exercising their fundamental right to vote,' said Linda Barton, president of the League of Women Voters of Wyoming, in a news release. 'For decades, Wyoming's elections have been secure and without fraud without this law. The League is proud to speak out against this unnecessary and discriminatory law that will harm Wyoming residents and voters.' Since 2000, there have been four convictions of voter fraud in Wyoming, according to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. All four cases involved U.S. citizens. Last week, the Laramie County Sheriff's Office announced it had been alerted by the Laramie County Clerk's Office of 24 cases of potential voting violations in last year's election. After an investigation, two individuals, both of Cheyenne and both ineligible to vote due to prior felony convictions, were charged with False Voting under Wyoming Statute 22-26-106(a)(i). None of the individuals flagged for potential voting violations related to immigration were found to have voted illegally. Shortly after ESPC filed its complaint against Gray and the county clerks, the group's attorneys sought a preliminary injunction, essentially requesting the law not go into effect until legal judgment has been passed. Gray then asked the court to both allow HB 156 to go into law and dismiss the complaint entirely. No timeline has been announced as to when the court may issue a ruling on either the injunction or Gray's motion to dismiss. In LWV's amicus brief, its legal representation, Campaign Legal Center and Robinson Bramlet LLC, criticize Gray's opposition and argue the court should judge the case using the Anderson-Burdick balancing test, which is a framework typically used to analyze voting laws to determine whether a voting restriction violates the First and 14th Amendment. In the U.S. Supreme Court's Anderson-Burdick framework, federal courts are required to weigh 'the character and magnitude of the asserted injury to the rights protected in the First and 14th Amendments that the plaintiff seeks to vindicate' against 'the precise interests put forward by the State as justifications for the burden imposed by its rule,' taking into consideration 'the extent to which those interests make it necessary to burden the plaintiff's rights.' LWV argues that Gray is improperly attempting to narrow this balancing test, saying Gray cannot seriously contend that HB 156 imposes no additional burden on the right to vote. 'The careful balancing and scrutiny required under Anderson-Burdick for state laws restricting the right to vote is nowhere to be found in Secretary Gray's opposition to the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction. Instead, the Secretary claims that, in the absence of a severe burden, this Court should apply something 'similar or identical to rational-basis scrutiny,'' the amicus document reads. Gray argued in his response to the motion for preliminary injunction from ESPC that the plaintiff could not provide sufficient evidence of how this will harm the voting rights of Wyomingites. 'Despite Plaintiff's claims of widespread harm, it has only identified one member organization that claims harm to its members,' Gray's attorneys wrote in a response to the motion for a preliminary injunction, alluding to an affidavit submitted by Linda Hawkins, one of several affidavits submitted as part of this lawsuit. Hawkins is the executive director of the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. In her affidavit, she argued that HB 156 could impede or prevent survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault from being able to register to vote. Other organizations that submitted affidavits include Needs Inc. and the COMEA House and Resource Center homeless shelter, both in Cheyenne. LWV's amicus brief concludes by requesting the court grant the motion for a preliminary injunction. 'This documentary proof of citizenship law — HB 156 — is yet another example of a state creating a solution in search of a problem,' said Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice at the League of Women Voters of the U.S., in a news release. 'The League is proud to be fighting unlawful documentary proof of citizenship laws in courts across the country. State legislatures must learn that unfounded allegations of non-citizen voting do not justify laws that create discriminatory and financially burdensome restrictions on voter registration for eligible voters.'
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Wyoming residents voice support for voter registration changes
CHEYENNE — Beginning July 1, Wyoming voters will be required to provide proof of state residency and U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, something Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has been advocating for years. The move comes after the Wyoming Legislature passed House Bill 156 in February, a piece of legislation Gov. Mark Gordon let go into law without his signature. The public comment period for rules related to the change began May 5 and lasts until June 20. Wednesday afternoon, Gray's office held an in-person and virtual meeting to allow people to voice their opinions about the proposed rules. All attendees who spoke during the meeting expressed support for the new law, and made some minor recommendations for the Secretary of State to consider before a final version of the law is published. Wyoming voters will be required to be a state resident for at least 30 days before casting their ballots, and must present proof of residency and citizenship when registering to vote. Last year, a similar piece of legislation was approved by the Wyoming Legislature, but vetoed by Gordon on the grounds that the regulations exceeded Gray's legal authority. The 2025 legislation grants the Secretary of State that authority. 'Providing proof of United States citizenship and proof of residency has been a key priority of our administration,' Gray said Wednesday, 'and this rulemaking marks over a year-and-a-half-long standoff with Gov. Mark Gordon and myself concerning the need for documentary proof of citizenship and residency to ensure a reasonable means to follow our constitutional obligations of ensuring only U.S. citizens and only Wyomingites are voting in Wyoming elections.' Gray said the veto last year was very troubling, and there were a lot of inaccurate statements made by the governor. 'We didn't give up. We went to the Legislature, and the people won, weighing the governor back down, and the bill became law without his signature,' he said. Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, and the former chairman of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a hardline group of Republican lawmakers, was the primary sponsor of the bill. He spoke during Wednesday's public hearing, saying this bill will build confidence in Wyoming elections. 'Prior to introducing this bill, we conducted a poll of likely voters in the state of Wyoming. It was a very scientific poll, and this particular issue had over 74% support, and we saw that as we traveled the state,' he said. Voter Meeting From left, Elena Campbell speaks on Zoom, while C.J. Young, Election Division director; Jesse Naiman, deputy secretary of state; and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray listen during a public comment meeting about voter identification rules in the Capitol Extension on Wednesday. Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin, who also serves as chairman of the Wyoming County Clerks Association, weighed in Wednesday, as well, with a few minor suggested changes. One recommendation concerned the use of Wyoming student identification cards as a document to prove residency for voter registration. He suggested the ID cards be required to display the voter's legal name, not a chosen name. He said most of his concerns regarding the 2025 legislation were quelled by the fact that there is a 'last-ditch' effort that allows people to show proof of residency or citizenship if they don't have the required documentation to vote outlined in the new law. If someone doesn't have valid identification forms or lacks a Wyoming driver's license and a Social Security number to prove residency, they can provide other documentation, such as a utility bill, bank statement or a pay stub under the proposed rules. To prove U.S. citizenship, one must produce a document already outlined in law, including a Wyoming driver's license, Wyoming ID card, a valid U.S. passport, a certificate of U.S. citizenship, a certificate of naturalization, a U.S. military draft record or a Selective Service registration acknowledgement card, a consular report of birth abroad issued by the U.S. Department of State, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate in the U.S. bearing an official seal. 'I want to be clear that we see that adaptation as a last-ditch effort, if we've exhausted all other options. It's our last option on the table, specifically to ensure nobody is disenfranchised from voting,' Ervin said. The other concern he had that was addressed in the new legislation is that post office boxes in Wyoming will only count as proof of residency if the person lists their residential address on their voter registration application form. Another virtual attendee spoke in favor of the new law. Mark Koep, chairman of the Crook County Republican Party, echoed Rep. Bear's statements of statewide support. 'Overwhelmingly, the voters of Wyoming — and I talk to a lot of people — support these rules that you have in place,' he said. 'And so, I just want to make that heard on this chat to the media in the room: the people of Wyoming want these rules.' Since 2000, there have been four convictions of voter fraud in Wyoming, according to The Heritage Foundation, all involving U.S. citizens. When the public comment period closes on June 20, it will once again be up to Gordon to accept or reject the proposed rules. Under Gray's proposed rules, a valid Wyoming driver's license will be adequate proof of identity, residency and U.S. citizenship, so long as it lists a Wyoming address. Tribal identification cards issued by either the Eastern Shoshone or Northern Arapaho tribes, or other federally recognized tribes, will also count as proof of residency if a Wyoming address is listed. If the applicant doesn't have the forms of identification present at the time of registration, they must provide on the voter registration application form their Wyoming driver's license number and one of any of the following documents: U.S. passport; a driver's license or ID card issued by the federal government, any state or outlying possession of the United States; a photo ID card issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming community college, or a Wyoming public school; an ID card issued to a dependent of a member of the United States Armed Forces; or a tribal identification card issued by the governing body of the Eastern Shoshone tribe of Wyoming, the Northern Arapaho tribe of Wyoming or other federally recognized Indian tribe. These documents would also need to list a Wyoming address to prove state residency. If a person seeking to register to vote doesn't have a valid driver's license, they must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with one of the previously mentioned documents in the proposed rules. None of the documents will suffice if the applicant is not a U.S. citizen. Online comments on the proposed rules can continue to be submitted by email to the Secretary of State's chief policy officer and general counsel, Joe Rubino, at until June 20.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Five House elections bills fly through Senate committee, head to the floor
CHEYENNE — A record number of elections-related bills were filed for the 2025 general session, and a majority of them are still in play. One bill, Senate File 78, 'Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms,' is already headed to the governor's desk, and others are not far behind. The Legislature's Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee passed five election-related House bills Wednesday night, finishing the work they started last Friday morning. The proposals in these bills would require proof of residency for voter registration, heighten requirements for independent candidate filings, create a statewide ban on all ballot drop boxes, prohibit the activity of ballot harvesting and amend current laws related to voter fraud. Committee members had their work cut out for them, having spent three cumulative meetings (one last week and two on Wednesday) taking public testimony and discussing and amending each of the five bills sent over by the House of Representatives. Last Friday, committee members didn't even get through the first of the five bills, House Bill 131, 'Ballot drop boxes-prohibition,' before time ran out and senators rushed upstairs for the start of the floor session. Ballot drop box ban A House bill banning ballot drop boxes in Wyoming received a total of three hours of public testimony, spanning over the course of two meetings, before it was passed Wednesday morning on a 3-2 vote. Chairman Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, and Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, voted against the bill. Around a dozen or so members of the public, including county clerks, offered anecdotes either in support of or against the ban on ballot drop boxes. Those who testified in support of the bill argued ballot drop boxes are a breach in the 'chain of custody' of elections. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Chris Knapp, R-Gillette, told committee members on Feb. 14 that voters should return to a full reliability on the U.S. Postal Service. Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette (2025) Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette 'Wyoming is extremely vulnerable due to the low population,' Knapp said. 'I think it's very important that the chain of custody be true in any election, and especially in Wyoming.' Knapp and supporters of the bill said the Postal Service is a safe and secure way of delivering absentee ballots to the county clerk. Secretary of State Chuck Gray recounted recent attempts to tamper with or destroy ballot drop boxes in Montana, Washington and Oregon. Chuck Gray mug Chuck Gray A video went viral on social media last October of a person, allegedly aligned with the Democratic Party, attempting to remove a ballot drop box from a wall in Glacier County, Montana. However, the person was not successful in removing the ballot drop box from its secured position, 'The National News Desk' reported on NBC Montana. A spokesperson for Montana Secretary of State Christi Jackson told TNND the individual failed to remove the box and was turned over to Montana law enforcement. Also last October, ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, destroying hundreds of ballots, the Associated Press reported. The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information related to the ballot drop box fires. 'These incidents illustrate the inherent risks posed by relying on drop boxes, which could undermine public trust in elections and compromise the secure handling of ballots,' Gray said. 'Banning ballot drop boxes would eliminate these vulnerabilities, ensuring that ballots are returned through more secure and regulated channels, such as direct submission and election offices, or via the U.S. Postal Service.' Wyoming county clerks have previously testified there's never been a reported incident of tampering with ballot boxes in their counties, and they insist these are a safe, secure way of delivering absentee ballots. Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin confirmed to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle there have been no reported tampering incidents with ballot drop boxes in the state. The only anecdote he provided was in Fremont County, where some individuals were concerned with the security of a ballot drop box, but did not tamper with it. Fremont County Clerk Julie Freese said she has never had an incident of tampering with the ballot drop box since it was installed in 2016. 'Something to note is that former-Secretary (of State Ed) Buchanan's directives regarding drop boxes were the first time security requirements were attached to the use of drop boxes,' Ervin said in an email to the WTE. 'Once those directives expired, the counties who utilized drop boxes agreed upon certain security measures, which were consistent with former-Secretary Buchanan's directives.' Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said a combined 5,600 ballots were delivered to the ballot drop box in the 2022 and 2024 election cycles. The 2024 election cycle accounted for more than 2,000 of those ballots. In contrast, 770 ballots for the 2024 election were returned in person to the county clerk, Lee said. Debra Lee portrait after Canvassing Board meeting (copy) Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee poses for a photo after the Laramie County Canvassing Board meeting, where they certified the results of the primary election in the Historic County Courthouse on Aug. 23 in Cheyenne. 'Chain of custody has been mentioned as a reason for this bill, and I would argue chain of custody is a reason to have a drop box,' Lee said. The Postal Service also announced additional cuts of rural mail carriers last fall, Lee said, which means slower delivery of absentee ballots. With a new change in Wyoming election code creating a shorter window for absentee ballot mail, this could put voters at risk of not getting their ballot counted on Election Day, she said. 'This just underscores, I would say, the need for us to have alternative methods for voters,' Lee said. Sen. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, successfully brought an amendment to the bill that would allow for a 'secured receptacle' to be placed on the exterior of a courthouse for receiving ballots. Case also successfully amended the bill to provide reimbursement to counties for the removal or relocation of ballot drop boxes. Firearm v. election regulations Twice, Chairman Case asked bringers of two different election bills whether firearms should be regulated as heavily as they're pushing to regulate elections. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander (2025) Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander 'So, do you think the right to vote is as important as the right to keep and bear arms?' Case asked. Knapp responded that certain rights rise to that level of importance, before Case interjected. 'Which one's more important?' Case asked. 'I think one ensures that the other one stays important,' Knapp answered. The chairman repeated his line of questioning Wednesday night, during discussion of another bill, HB 156, that requires proof of residency in voter registration. Critics of the bill argued the new proof of residency requirements could disenfranchise qualified electors, such as senior citizens and individuals without homes, from voting. If these same regulations were being discussed on gun rights, instead of elections, elected officials and members of the public would be 'prickling right now,' Case said. 'We're talking about people that have the right to vote, and we're making them jump through hoops, unlike with gun rights,' Case said. 'In my mind, the right to vote and the right to carry a firearm are equivalent constitutional rights, guaranteed by different amendments, but fundamental to our democracy. 'So, the more restrictions you put on someone, it's no different than putting restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms, as well.'
