Latest news with #HB156
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Equality State Policy Center files federal lawsuit over new voter registration law
LARAMIE – The Equality State Policy Center (ESPC) filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging Wyoming House Bill 156, a law passed earlier this year that imposes proof-of-citizenship and proof-of-residency requirements on Wyoming voters. The lawsuit argues that HB 156 violates both state and federal law, and threatens to deprive legitimate Wyoming voters of their right and freedom to vote. HB 156 makes several changes to the ways elections are carried out in Wyoming. It requires voters to be Wyoming residents for no less than 30 days before an election, requires proof of residency and U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and requires county clerks to deny registration if there is 'any indication' that the person is not a United States citizen. "Wyoming has a proud tradition of fair and secure elections, and there is no evidence of non-citizen voting or widespread fraud to justify the harsh new restrictions in HB 156," ESPC Executive Director Jenny DeSarro said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. "This unnecessary law creates significant barriers that will prevent eligible citizens from exercising their constitutional right to vote, particularly young voters, women who changed their names when they married, low-income voters and Hispanic voters. These hardworking Wyomingites must be allowed to exercise their rights and freedoms at the ballot box.' Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Republican state lawmakers aligned with the hardline Freedom Caucus pushed for the election measure, which Gov. Mark Gordon allowed to become law without his signature. Explaining why he refused to sign the bill, Gordon said that while he agrees with allowing only U.S. citizens and Wyoming residents to vote in the state, he had significant legal concerns: '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,' Gordon said in a March 21 statement. Gordon said at that time that whether federal or state statute would prevail in a legal contest is a question that would have to be resolved in court. The governor also took issue with the requirement for county clerks to deny registration if there is 'any indication' that the applicant is not an American citizen in their registration, calling this addition 'far-reaching.' Secretary of State Gray celebrated the passage of the bill into law, as it was one of his top priorities going into this year's legislative session. Gray responded to the filing of the lawsuit by issuing the following statement: 'This lawsuit shows how far the radical Left is willing to go to try to stop election integrity. The far-left's lawsuit is a meritless attempt to undermine the common-sense election integrity measures Wyomingites want. Proof of citizenship and proof of residency are common sense measures pivotal to election integrity, which is why House Bill 156 was the number one priority of our conservative election integrity agenda during the 2025 Legislative Session. I will be preparing to vigorously defend Wyoming's proof of citizenship and residency requirements. We will fight this lawsuit and the false claims in it. And we will win.' The lawsuit, filed Friday in United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, names Gray, as well as all 23 of Wyoming's county clerks, as defendants. The law will not become effective until July 1, and it will first apply to the 2026 primary election.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gordon lets 'far-reaching' election bill go into law
CHEYENNE — The final bill waiting for consideration on Gov. Mark Gordon's desk became law Friday after he let it pass without his signature. House Bill 156 makes several changes to the ways elections are carried out in Wyoming. It requires voters to be Wyoming residents for no less than 30 days before an election, requires proof of residency and U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and requires county clerks to deny registration if there is 'any indication' that the person is not a United States citizen. Gordon said he agrees with allowing only U.S. citizens and Wyoming residents to vote in the state, but expressed several concerns with the bill. '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,' Gordon said in a statement Friday. Gordon is concerned litigation may come from HB 156 clashing with the U.S. Constitution. He wrote in his statement that the act's residency requirement may interfere with its implementation. Federal statute provides that no citizen shall be subject to a residency requirement to vote in any election for president or vice president, which directly contradicts HB 156. The Wyoming Constitution also requires a minimum age of 21, something that the U.S. Constitution overrides in the 26th Amendment as the supreme law of the land. Gordon said in his statement that whether federal or state statute will prevail in a legal contest is a question that will have to be resolved in court. The governor also took issue with the requirement for clerks to deny registration if there is 'any indication' that the applicant is not an American citizen in their registration, calling this addition 'far-reaching.' 'This standard may be difficult for clerks to administer, as it is unclear and perhaps awkward for our county clerks to consistently apply with any degree of certainty,' Gordon wrote. He provided examples of how a bona fide resident and U.S. citizen may have well-worn, sun-bleached or wrinkled identification cards, particularly among elderly Wyomingites. 'No doubt, it is up to the voter to make sure all their 'papers' are in order before they can vote, but still, I remain concerned that the vagueness of the language in this Act could lead clerks to either err on the side of over-enforcement or under-enforcement,' Gordon wrote. Goshen County Clerk Mark Feagler told the WTE that it could be difficult to verify the truth of documents showing 30-day proof of residency. 'I believe firmly that people should be a U.S. citizen before they can vote, and that they should only be able to vote in one specific place,' Feagler said. 'It's the administration of figuring out how to administer that and what will be done if somebody signs the oath (of 30-day residency) and it's not true.' Secretary of State Chuck Gray celebrated the passage of the bill into law, as it was one of his top priorities going into this year's legislative session. 'Proof of citizenship and proof of residency for registering to vote are both so important. Only United States citizens, and only Wyomingites, should be voting in Wyoming elections. Period,' Gray said in a statement. 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 Gray's conservative election integrity reform agenda, which he published in December. The bill passed the Wyoming House of Representatives 51-8 on third reading, and the Wyoming Senate 26-4 on third reading. 'Because this legislation adheres to neither the original construction of our Constitution nor federal law in its durational requirement, I cannot sign it as such,' Gordon wrote. 'Because I believe this Act — although redundant — offers some useful improvements, I am letting this bill pass into law without my signature.' The act will not become effective until July 1, and it will first apply to the 2026 primary election. Feagler said this will give her and other Wyoming county clerks more time to work out the best ways to verify proof of residency.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills banning ballot drop boxes, touch-screen voting machines fail in Senate
CHEYENNE — Some of Secretary of State Chuck Gray's election integrity bills died Friday night after failing to pass first reading in the Wyoming Senate, including two that threatened to 'upend' Laramie County elections, according to County Clerk Debra Lee. A large number of election-related bills were filed this session, making up 8% of total proposed legislation, according to House Bill 245, 'Pen and paper ballots,' would have removed touch-screen voting machines that have been used by Laramie County voters for decades. Lee previously told lawmakers this bill would 'upend' elections in her county. 'We've been using these for decades,' Lee said in a House committee. 'They don't know how to mark a paper ballot, I have to be honest.' Another failed bill, HB 131, 'Ballot drop boxes-prohibition,' would have created a statewide ban on ballot drop boxes. Lee and several other county clerks argued that the removal of ballot drop boxes could disenfranchise qualified electors from participating in Wyoming elections. Lee previously told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle she received a lot of correspondence from voters who were grateful for the ballot drop box outside the Laramie County Governmental Complex. 'They could deliver their ballot securely, they could deliver it independently,' Lee said. 'Some of them had health concerns, and they really were glad that they were able to get that ballot to us without having to come into the office.' Gray's election priorities Before the start of the session, Gray told members of the press he was working closely with lawmakers to promote his election integrity priorities this legislative session. These priorities included requiring proof of voter residency and U.S. citizenship, a statewide ban on ballot drop boxes, a ban on ballot harvesting, requiring 'true' photo ID, a ban on Zuckerbucks, improving voter list maintenance statutes and requiring hand verification of voting machines. In a January news release, Gray added four more priorities, including adding a durational residency requirement, a default to paper ballots and banning foreign funding of elections and ballot measures. The secretary of state celebrated a victory on Monday, after HB 156, 'Proof of voter residency-registration qualifications,' successfully passed the Legislature and headed toward Gov. Mark Gordon's desk. Sponsored by Wyoming Freedom Caucus chairman emeritus Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, HB 156 creates a new 30-day residency rule in order to vote in Wyoming elections and includes a requirement of proof of U.S. citizenship. 'Only United States citizens, and only Wyomingites, should be voting in Wyoming elections. Period,' Gray said in a news release. 'With the passage of this landmark legislation, Wyoming will further cement our commitment to election integrity, as the only state to require proof of citizenship for all elections, an important priority of President Trump. 'I urge the Governor to sign this common-sense, conservative piece of election integrity legislation.' Several House bills that ban Zuckerbucks and other third-party funding administrations, improve voter maintenance list statutes and prohibit rank choice voting are still making their way through the session. However, Gray expressed his disappointment over the other election bills that failed to pass the Senate. 'Despite a lot of the good work we have been able to achieve and continue to achieve, I am disappointed that seven key election integrity bills were not heard on Friday,' Gray said in an email to the WTE. 'All of these passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives, were heard and passed the Senate Corporations(, Elections and Political Subdivisions) Committee, and died before they could be heard in the Senate.' Correction: This story originally said that a majority of Secretary of State Chuck Gray's election reform priorities had died. Since he expanded the original list of six to 10 in January, that was incorrect. In fact, six of the 10 passed this session and are awaiting action by the governor.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills banning ballot drop boxes, touch screen voting machines fail in Senate
CHEYENNE — A majority of Secretary of State Chuck Gray's election integrity bills died Friday night after failing to pass first reading in the Wyoming Senate, including two that threatened to 'upend' Laramie County elections, according to County Clerk Debra Lee. A large number of election-related bills were filed this session, making up 8% of total proposed legislation, according to House Bill 245, 'Pen and paper ballots,' would have removed touch-screen voting machines that have been used by Laramie County voters for decades. Lee previously told lawmakers this bill would 'upend' elections in her county. 'We've been using these for decades,' Lee said in a House committee. 'They don't know how to mark a paper ballot, I have to be honest.' Another failed bill, HB 131, 'Ballot drop boxes-prohibition,' would have created a statewide ban on ballot drop boxes. Lee and several other county clerks argued that the removal of ballot drop boxes could disenfranchise qualified electors from participating in Wyoming elections. Lee previously told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle she received a lot of correspondence from voters who were grateful for the ballot drop box outside the Laramie County Governmental Complex. 'They could deliver their ballot securely, they could deliver it independently,' Lee said. 'Some of them had health concerns, and they really were glad that they were able to get that ballot to us without having to come into the office.' Gray's election priorities Before the start of the session, Gray told members of the press he was working closely with lawmakers to promote his election integrity priorities this legislative session. These priorities included requiring proof of voter residency and U.S. citizenship, a statewide ban on ballot drop boxes, a ban on ballot harvesting, requiring 'true' photo ID, a ban on Zuckerbucks, improving voter list maintenance statutes and requiring hand verification of voting machines. The secretary of state celebrated a victory on Monday, after HB 156, 'Proof of voter residency-registration qualifications,' successfully passed the Legislature and headed toward Gov. Mark Gordon's desk. Sponsored by Wyoming Freedom Caucus chairman emeritus Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, HB 156 creates a new 30-day residency rule in order to vote in Wyoming elections and includes a requirement of proof of U.S. citizenship. 'Only United States citizens, and only Wyomingites, should be voting in Wyoming elections. Period,' Gray said in a news release. 'With the passage of this landmark legislation, Wyoming will further cement our commitment to election integrity, as the only state to require proof of citizenship for all elections, an important priority of President Trump. 'I urge the Governor to sign this common-sense, conservative piece of election integrity legislation.' Bills that ban Zuckerbucks and other third-party funding administrations, improve voter maintenance list statutes and prohibit rank choice voting are still making their way through the session. However, Gray expressed his disappointment over the other election bills that failed to pass the Senate. 'Despite a lot of the good work we have been able to achieve and continue to achieve, I am disappointed that seven key election integrity bills were not heard on Friday,' Gray said in an email to the WTE. 'All of these passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives, were heard and passed the Senate Corporations(, Elections and Political Subdivisions) Committee, and died before they could be heard in the Senate.'
