Better Wyoming Narrative Guides:

How to talk about Wyoming primary elections....

...when you want to increase voter turnout!

INTRODUCTION

Primary elections in Wyoming are extremely important. Many general elections in Wyoming only have one candidate running. Most of the rest have only one candidate with any chance to win. This means that, in most offices, whoever won their primary election has effectively already won! These offices usually include: 

  • Governor
  • Secretary of State
  • Wyoming’s entire Congressional delegation
  • Most seats in the Wyoming Legislature
  • Most county-level seats like commissioner or sheriff

Primary elections can be decided by just a handful of votes, and often feature candidates with critically different views. Small numbers of voters are making major decisions about our communities.

WHAT'S STOPPING PRIMARY VOTERS? What the research tells us...

Many voters believe that the stakes of primary elections are lower than the general elections, and that the “cost” of voting is greater. Also, there isn’t the same social pressure to vote in primaries. On top of this, folks may feel that they’re not educated enough to vote in primaries. It’s our job to persuade them otherwise!

We have to tell our Wyoming neighbors: If you’re waiting until November to vote, you’ve already missed your chance to decide which candidate will represent you!

SOME DOs & DON’Ts

When we talk about voting in the primaries, research gives us some important starting points to consider about what does and does not work:

DOES HELP

Connecting voting to issues. Whether it’s healthcare, public education, housing, public lands, or other things that impact people’s lives and communities, helping people understand how their vote will impact issues will motivate them.

Framing voting as something we all can participate in, rather than something you do alone. This could be in the form of “social pressure” (i.e. “I vote in the primary. Do you?”) or “collective action” (i.e. “When people like us get together and all vote, we can make a difference!”).

Illustrating how small numbers of voters have a big influence on our state and communities. (i.e. “Senator Jim Anderson won by 30 votes in the 2024 Primary Election and he is the chairman of the committee that oversees business and economic development. The decisions he makes directly impact what opportunities businesses may have.”)

DOES NOT HELP

Giving people information on how to vote without any further context. By itself, simply educating people about poll locations, etc., does not increase their likelihood to vote.

Telling people simply that this is an important election or that voting, in general, is important. People are motivated to vote by issues and by candidates. Saying “Vote because it’s important!” without further information is not effective.

FOUR STEPS TO MOTIVATE PRIMARY VOTING

Step 1: EXPLAIN WHY PRIMARIES MATTER

Briefly and clearly explain that primary elections decide, in most cases, who will hold office in Wyoming.

  • Most of the people whose decisions impact your life and community are decided in the primary elections, not the general elections. These include:

ALL STATEWIDE RACES:  Governor, Secretary of State & other statewide offices, and Wyoming’s entire Congressional delegation, are essentially decided in the primary election. By the time the general election arrives, only one candidate in each of these races will have a realistic chance to win.

MOST LEGISLATIVE RACES: Outside of a few counties where there are competitive races between Republicans and Democrats in the general election, all other seats in the Wyoming Legislature are essentially decided in the primary elections.

MOST COUNTY-LEVEL RACES: County-level races in all but a couple places are decided in the primaries. These include races for county commissioner, clerk, and sheriff. 

  • The only elections that are commonly decided in the general elections in Wyoming are races for city council and school board, which are nonpartisan.
  • That means that if you care about public lands, healthcare, education, or other important issues that impact your life and community, the decisions about who will be making laws about them will be made in August. You need to make your voice heard in the primary election.

Step 2: EMPHASIZE WHY THEIR VOTE MATTERS (really!)

Briefly explain why, in Wyoming primaries, their vote really does matter.

  • A very small portion of Wyoming’s overall population votes in the primary elections. A tiny group decides who represents the rest of us. Just by voting, you can help change that!

DID YOU KNOW, in 2024...

  • Nearly one-third of elections for the Wyoming House—23 races in all—were determined by less than 250 votes. Twelve of those races were decided by fewer than 100 votes. Several legislative elections came down to a dozen or fewer votes!
  • Only 27% of eligible voters cast ballots in the primary elections. This means that 73% of Wyoming residents had no say in the elections that decided many important races, especially for the Wyoming Legislature.
  • With such a low voter turnout, that meant that only 9% of Wyoming residents voted for candidates associated with the Freedom Caucus. However, that was enough for the group to take control of the House of Representatives.
  • Out-of-state groups take advantage of our low turnout to push their extremist political agendas. Simply by voting in the primaries, you can push back against extreme agendas!
      • Primary voters tend to have stronger partisan beliefs than your average resident, or they are motivated by hot-button campaign topics that may not reflect the most important concerns of your community. 
      • Wyoming has become a “testing ground” for out-of-state groups pushing national political agendas. Our small population and low voter turnout makes it cheap and easy for them to flood our state with propaganda to see what might work elsewhere. By voting in Wyoming primaries, you have an important say on national issues!
      • Increasing voter turnout in the primaries decreases the influence that partisan and national agendas will dominate our state politics.

Step 3: TIE THEIR VOTE TO THE ISSUES...

Clearly emphasize how the issues people care about are decided in primary elections

If you want to have a say in how our schools are funded, what your access to healthcare is, or whether the state protects your public land access, voting in the Primary Election in August is where you can have power over your government. 

EDUCATION

Wyoming’s public education system is among the best in the country, providing hardworking Wyoming families and communities with a quality education that many other rural states lack. To protect Wyoming’s education system, vote in the primaries for candidates who support well-funded schools, and who keep education free from the hot-button politics that hinder teachers' ability to educate our next generations.

      • State legislators determine school funding levels and write laws impacting public schools, like efforts to ban books and punish librarians, or to create positive new programs like universal pre-K education.
      • The superintendent of public instruction is the chief officer overseeing the Wyoming Department of Education, which makes decisions regarding teacher certification and curriculum, sets academic standards, and enforces rules on school districts.
      • The governor plays an important role shaping statewide education initiatives, chooses the Board of Trustees for the University of Wyoming, and can veto education-related legislation.

HEALTHCARE

Wyoming has quality hospitals and physicians—but also one of the most expensive, hard-to-access healthcare systems in the country. If you care about your freedom to access affordable healthcare, make sure to vote in these races in the upcoming election:

    • State legislators write laws determining healthcare access and eligibility for programs like Medicaid as well as funding levels for public health programs and rules for insurance companies.
    • County Commissioners oversee local hospitals and clinics to make sure they are adequately funded, administered, and staffed.
    • The governor oversees and chooses who leads the Department of Health – a crucial role in developing healthcare policy that can impact your experience in the doctor’s office.

HOUSING

Housing has become more expensive and difficult to access in many Wyoming communities. State and local elected officials can work toward housing solutions and protect renters.

    • State legislators decide on renter protections, property taxes, and mortgage-related legislation, and they can support projects like public-private housing construction.
    • The governor, auditor, superintendent of public instruction, secretary of state, and treasurer all serve on the State Land and Investment Board, which makes decisions about grants to local communities for housing opportunities. 
    • County Commissioners make decisions about new housing developments and distribute local tax revenue to improve communities.

PUBLIC LANDS AND WILDLIFE

Wyoming’s wildlife and open spaces attract many to live in our state. If you want to preserve our public lands for future generations, vote in these races:

    • County Commissioners make decisions about budgets, local parks, waste, roads, and land use.
    • State legislators pass legislation and determine funding for conservation, wildlife management, hunting seasons, and public land access.
    • The governor chooses who leads the Wyoming Game and Fish Department – our state’s wildlife management agency that designates wildlife migration corridors, hunting regulations, and more. 

GOOD JOBS

Wyoming’s biggest export is our youth, as many young people leave for better jobs elsewhere. Elected leaders have failed to create a diverse economy with opportunities to  encourage young families and individuals to stay, and because of this our economy continues to struggle. If you care about economic opportunities, these elections matter:

    • County Commissioners oversee development projects, influencing economic diversity.
    • State legislators make decisions about worker rights, wages, and policies that attract or deter businesses.

TAXES

Wyoming’s boom-and-bust economy results from a tax structure heavily reliant on one industry – oil and gas. At the same time, some state legislators have pushed to get rid of property taxes without creating a plan for how to pay for essential services. Vote for candidates who support a smarter, more stable approach to taxes:

    • State legislators determine our tax structure, property tax changes, and consider revenues that could protect Wyoming from a volatile national and global economy.
    • County Commissioners raise county taxes through levies and mills and decide how tax dollars are spent on crucial community services.

Step 4: THE BASICS

Ensure they have information on how to vote.

Again, just telling people how to vote will not increase voting numbers - something we urgently need to do. But this information is still important!

Eligibility: You must...

    • Be a U.S. citizen.
    • Have been a resident of Wyoming for at least 30 days. 
    • Be at least 18 years old on Election Day.
    • Either not have a felony record, or have had your rights restored. 

Registering to Vote: You can...

    • Register in person, by going to your county clerk’s office at the same time that you cast your ballot.

Note: Fourteen or more days before Election Day, you can register without voting on-site if you’d prefer (if you’d like to take your ballot with you to research options, then submit it later). Within 14 days of Election Day, however, if you go in to register, you’ll have to vote on-site at the same time.

    • Register by mail, by downloading the voter registration form from the Secretary of State's website, completing it, getting it notarized with a valid ID, and mailing it to your county clerk's office.

Absentee Voting:

    • If you are unable to vote in person on Election Day, Wyoming allows for absentee voting. You can request an absentee ballot from your county clerk's office at any time during an election year except on the day of the election.
    • Absentee voting begins 28 days prior to the election and ends the day before the election. 
    • Absentee ballots must be received in the county clerk’s office by 7pm on election night to be counted. 

Party Affiliation:

    • Wyoming has a closed primary system, meaning that only registered members of a political party can vote in that party's primary. 
      • If you were registered with one party and want to change to another, you must do so by May 13th.
      • HOWEVER: If you are not currently registered, you can register with the party of your choosing at the same time that you go to cast your ballot between July 21 and August 18.
      • The Wyoming Voter Registration Application & Change Form has more details, and can be downloaded and filled out.
      • Independent voters are NOT allowed to cast ballots in either party’s primary election. 
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