December 22, 2023 |
Photo – Vote sticker – Bigfoot99 file photo
Elected officials in the county appeared worried that the Secretary of State’s election rule changes may discourage people from voting.
During the December 19th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett said Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s office is reworking aspects of Wyoming election law. Bartlett said one of Secretary Gray ‘s proposed changes is the elimination of unsupervised drop boxes for voter ballot collection. The county clerk said if the rule change is put into effect, Carbon County’s drop box would lose any convenience it currently offers.
Clerk Bartlett said voting ballots, as well as other official documents, can be deposited into a secure box outside of the Carbon Building in Rawlins. Bartlett said she instituted many security measures to ensure there is no possibility of tampering with the box’s contents.
Clerk Bartlett asked for the board’s support to continue using the outside drop box for election ballot deposits. The county clerk said she, and the other members of the Wyoming Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers, voiced their disapproval of Secretary Gray’s rule change. Bartlett said the commissioner’s backing will provide her letter of opposition with greater legitimacy.
The board expressed its approval of the outside ballot drop box and offered to sign Clerk Bartlett’s letter.
Secretary Gray is also proposing a change to the definition of the word resident. Clerk Bartlett said under the Secretary of State’s new regulation, a person must live within the state for at least 30 days before being considered a resident. The county clerk said she welcomes the stricter definition.
Another of Secretary Gray’s proposed changes is the requirement of proof of residency in order to register to vote. Clerk Bartlett said that specific rule change may negatively impact citizens with driver’s licenses that list their PO Box instead of their physical address.
Clerk Bartlett said the Wyoming Department of Transportation will accept a voter registration as proof of identity when applying for a driver’s license. Bartlett said Carbon County only requires an oath of residency when registering to vote. The county clerk said residents were taking advantage of the system to receive additional proof of identification for WYDOT, a rule that may change.
Clerk Bartlett said because so many people register to vote simply for proof of residency, the county’s voter logs must be periodically purged of the unused registrations.
Commissioner Travis Moore said the voting rule changes may disenfranchise some citizens. Commissioner Moore asked Bartlett if the Secretary of State was also pushing for a stronger call to vote.
Clerk Bartlett said she, and the other members of the Wyoming Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers, plan to work together to educate people about the Secretary of State’s proposed regulation changes. The county clerk said Secretary Gray’s ban on changing party affiliation may prevent out-of-town voters from casting their ballots.
Commissioner Moore questioned why the Secretary of State’s office hadn’t released an official statement about the potential negative effects of the voting rule changes. Clerk Bartlett said she and the other clerks support Secretary Gray’s proposed changes, except for the drop box prohibition. The county clerk said she is working with the state to produce informational materials.
Commissioner Moore said he is worried that increasing the number of roadblocks may make fewer people participate in the voting process.
Clerk Bartlett said she thinks Secretary Gray may release an official statement about the rule changes in the coming year. In the meantime, the county clerk said she will continue to work with the Secretary of State’s office to devise more ways to encourage people to vote.
