Governor reinforces noncitizen voting rules

An executive order from Governor Mark Gordon aims to prevent noncitizen voting by reinforcing rules that are already in place.

Individuals who are not citizens of the United States are not permitted to vote, which Gordon recognizes in his order and asks county clerks to continue enforcing.

However, his order directs that, in addition, no state agencies will provide voter registration materials to noncitizens. It also requires that state agencies report any suspected instances of noncitizen voting they encounter.

Vote Protection

When someone registers to vote, says County Clerk Melissa Jones, they must answer three questions at the top of the form to confirm they are a U.S. citizen, over the age of 18 and not a felon.

“Those are the three things that qualify you to be a voter,” she says.

The new voter signs the form, taking an oath that these three things are true. The information provided is then verified.

“They also have to provide a form of ID to register to vote,” she says.

The ID is run through Wyoreg, the statewide registration system, which will flag an issue if the person is not believed to be a citizen.

This may not always accurately reflect the person’s residency status. For example, if the person has recently naturalized, they may not have renewed their driver’s license and still be listed with WYDOT as a resident alien.

The person would then be required to present their naturalization papers or an alternative form of proof that they are a citizen, such as a passport.

Verifying Voters

In a press release, Gordon acknowledged that his executive order recognizes voter concerns about election safety.

“I remain confident Wyoming’s elections are the most secure in the nation. As required by the laws enacted by the legislature, our county clerks are thorough and diligent when determining, investigating and verifying voter citizenship. With this Executive Order, I reaffirm my commitment to that ideal,” he said.

“Residents can be confident that this order removes any confusion and clarifies for our agencies – should there be any doubt – that they will not enable or facilitate any noncitizen to register to vote or help them to vote.”  

Election integrity has been a hot topic recently, spearheaded by Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who responded to the executive order by expressing gladness that the governor is “retreating from some of his previous wrong statements” about his efforts.

Gray spoke to his efforts earlier this year to amend election procedures to require identification for proof of identity, including of Wyoming residency, when registering to vote, and “uniformity and clarity” over providing evidence of citizenship.

In an April press release after those changes were vetoed by Gordon, Gray said he was troubled that the governor does not believe Wyoming has any real cases of voter fraud to address.

“As I indicated during our meeting with the Governor, our office has worked with county clerks on this very issue just last year, cancelling a registration of an illegal alien in Campbell County who illegally voted in the 2020 election,” he said.

On Friday, he called for the governor and legislature to work with his office to “address the problem head-on”.