HELPFUL TIPS FOR WRITING THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

IMPORTANT:

  • You’ll write your message in the text box on Step 2, where it says “Personalize your message.”
  • Your message will be sent separately to each member of the House Appropriations Committee.
  • Don’t click the “Send message” button until you write your message.
  • REMEMBER TO DELETE THE TEXT THAT SAYS “[DELTE THIS TEXT AND INSERT YOUR MESSAGE HERE]”

Have questions? Check out this video tutorial about using Better Wyoming forms to email legislators.

YOUR MESSAGE SHOULD HAVE THREE SHORT PARTS:

 

1. Say who you are.

Make sure to tell them that you’re a Wyoming voter.

My name is ____. I’m a Wyoming voter and I live in ______.

2. Say what you want.

Please vote “no” on Senate File 97, “Change in party affiliation.”

3. Say why you want it.

[This is where you can add a sentence or two about why fair voting districts are important to you. See talking points below.]

PRO TIPS

Change the message subject: This will let them know your email is not spam.

Keep it brief: Lawmakers get tons of emails. If you write them a novel, they’re not going to read it.

TALKING POINTS

Maybe mention a few of these things in your message.

Check out this article for more information: “Bill advances to limit voting in Wyoming primary elections”

  • Wyoming elections—including primaries—are not paid for, run by, or meant to serve political parties. They are financed by taxpayers and administered by the State of Wyoming in service of the general public.
  • Wyoming voters for decades have been able to walk into a polling station and switch their party. SF-97 strips voters of that right.
  • The “real elections” in Wyoming often occur in August. This makes the August primaries, which are paid for by taxpayers, fundamental parts of Wyoming’s democratic process. All Wyoming residents should be able to freely vote in them.
  • Wyoming voters should be able to support the individual candidate of their choosing, regardless of their party or the candidate’s party. If a voter wants to switch parties to support a candidate, that should be their right.
  • The months preceding an election are the time when candidates present their ideas to the public and the public becomes familiar with candidates. SF-97 would force voters to choose the election they want to participate in before they are able to learn about the candidates.
  • SF-97 states that voters must “declare or change party affiliation” prior to the cutoff date in mid-May. If a person misses a single general election, they are purged from the voter rolls and must re-register in order to vote in the next election. Unless they know to re-register prior to the May cutoff, they will be unable to vote.
  • Unaffiliated voters often register the day-of to vote in August primaries. SF-97 would block these voters from participating in primaries unless they register with a party months in advance.
  • The Sublette County Clerk warned the Senate Agriculture Committee that a massive public education campaign would be required to alert people of this change, and that many voters would be disenfranchised as a result of simply not knowing about it.
  • Legislation should not be enacted to support the interests of ANY individual political party.

Tell the House Appropriations Committee:

DON’T LIMIT WYOMING VOTING.

IT WORKS JUST FINE NOW.