Preparations nearly complete for Election Day

As was the case for August’s primary, Wyoming is doing its best to ensure that next week’s presidential election goes off without a hitch. A few changes here and there and plenty of preparation will pave the way to what Secretary of State Ed Buchanan hopes will be a “tremendous turnout” at the polls.

Absentee voting is nothing new in this state, Buchanan said last week, but this time around it was considered more important than ever to ensure voters knew about their choices. For that reason, he said, request forms were sent to every registered voter early on in the pandemic to provide the relevant information.

Statewide, the primary election saw around 60% of voters visit the polls and 40% choose absentee. Registration may have closed, but options still remain for voters who do not want to go to the polls on election day or did not request an absentee ballot be sent to them by mail.

If you are already registered, says County Clerk Linda Fritz, you may visit the County Clerk’s Office and request a ballot, which you can take home and fill out before returning it to the office. If you are not registered, you can still visit the County Clerk’s Office to register and request a ballot, but you will need to complete it on the premises and will not be allowed to take it home.

Absentee ballots must be in by 7 p.m. on November 3. With more absentee ballots than usual expected, the Secretary of State’s Office will once again be allowing county election officials to begin the administrative side of the counting process early.

“With the mass amount of absentees that are coming in and going out, especially in bigger counties, the Secretary of State permitted us two days again to start processing them early, because just the process of it would not be done in time if we were not given that extra time,” says Fritz.

This is scheduled to take place on October 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the county commissioner room.

“People are welcome to come and observe,” says Fritz. “You have to sign a form, you have to wear a name badge and you are not allowed to ask the election judges any questions, but you can come and watch the process.”

Fritz herself will oversee the ballot opening and, unlike the judges, will be available for questions.

“You can see what the process really is like so that you can tell the secrecy of your vote is still maintained even when the envelopes are opened,” Fritz says.

The process will be simple: as each is opened and checked in, the election judges will direct the ballots one way and the envelope the other. At the end, the ballots will be stacked ready to run through the counting machine on election day.

Until then, the ballots will be stored safely in a self-locking closet for which the key is kept in a lockbox for which only Clerk’s Office employees know the combination. After the ballots are opened, the extra step of placing a numbered seal on the door will be taken.

In order “to encourage people to come to the polls and vote,” Buchanan said last week that extra precautions have been taken around the state. This includes distribution of personal protective equipment and sanitation, as well as signage to protect both the public and poll workers.

“Nothing has changed there, we have very sanitary methods in place…just as we did in the primary,” said Buchanan.

Some Wyoming counties will also have more polling stations open for the general than they did for the primary, he said. Buchanan praised the state’s county clerks, saying they do a phenomenal job during every election cycle and this year will be no exception.

“We really had a very smooth election for the primary, and I expect nothing less for the general,” he said.

Self-isolating? Curbside voting now available

County Clerk Linda Fritz released a statement on Monday with instructions for anyone who is under quarantine orders that extend through Election Day. If you are healthy enough to drive to the courthouse, curbside early voting will be available. Contact Fritz’s office at 283-1323. A member of staff will come out to your car; please wear a mask, gloves will be provided. The office can register you to vote if you are currently not registered and will bring you an absentee ballot that you can fill out and then hand back in a sealed envelope. Fritz requests that quarantined citizens make use of this option now rather than on election day, when the polls will be extremely busy.