MARCH 24, 2025|
Photo – Governor Mark Gordon signs documents – Bigfoot99 file photo
Governor Mark Gordon, on Friday, took no action on House Enrolled Act 57/House Bill 156, “Proof of voter residency-registration,” to become Wyoming law without his signature.
In a statement announcing his decision, the Governor expressed his confidence in how elections are conducted in Wyoming. While stating that he believes only citizens who are residents of Wyoming should vote, he questioned what he described as “the arbitrary nature and the legality” of the Act’s 30-day residency requirement.
In his letter announcing his decision, the Governor highlighted the 30-day residency requirement in the bill, saying it conflicts with federal law that prohibits a time-based residency requirement to vote for the President or Vice President of the United States.
In a statement Friday, the governor noted, “Whether the federal or state statute will prevail in a legal contest is likely a question that will have to be resolved in court,” suggesting the bill could be challenged.
The Governor also noted other language in the bill, including the Act’s “any indication” standard for rejection of voter registration.
The governor said the wording might present challenges for county clerks to administer with any degree of certainty. He wondered whether the changes made through this Act are an improvement over the existing “provisional ballot” process. Whereby, a questionable ballot is not counted until fully vetted and verified.
With a sense of dry humor, the Governor noted the new law will give Secretary of State Chuck Gray new authority. “I am thrilled that this legislation,” the governor wrote, “now gives the Secretary of State the authority he was trying to usurp by passing rules he had no authority to pass, last spring.”
Governor Gordon added that “it is ultimately essential and core to the workings of both, our Wyoming and United States Constitutions, that a bona fide citizen be able to vote without undue difficulty and that right should not be abridged or diminished as a result of measures taken to conduct an election.”
