Wyoming Secretary of State: Primary Election Went Well

The pandemic couldn't stop the people from voting in the primary election on Tuesday, and preparations are underway for the general election on Nov. 3, Deputy Secretary of State Karen Wheeler said.

"Things went really well, even considering that we had COVID, we had great turnout," Wheeler said.

"The new equipment that was deployed statewide worked wonderfully," she said. "We heard nothing but positive about experiences with the new equipment, so we're incredibly happy about how things went."

The numbers were happy, too.

According to the unofficial results posted on the Secretary of State's website, voters cast 140,038 ballots on Tuesday, slightly more than the 139,809 in the 2018 primary.

There were 230,230 registered voters in Wyoming on Tuesday.

in 2016, the statewide turnout was 114,437, despite being a presidential election year, as is 2020.

A curious wrinkle on Tuesday concerned petition circulators who were gathering signatures for rap star and Cody resident Kayne West, who filed the paperwork with the Secretary of State late Monday to appear on the presidential ballot in the Nov. 3 general election.

West needs 4,025 valid signatures to appear on the ballot.

Gathering signatures is okay. Any electioneering within 100 yards of a polling place is not.

Wheeler said the Wyoming Secretary of State's office heard from county clerks, including Natrona County Clerk Tracy Good, that some circulators were not following the rules.

After being contacted, her office told some circulators about the rule and they moved, she said.

Wheeler had not heard whether anyone was arrested for violating the rule, she said.

Now, the Secretary of State and the 23 county clerks are preparing for the general election with appropriate personal protective equipment -- masks and hand sanitizer -- for poll workers and voters to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Wheeler said.

"We will also be doing messaging to remind all of our voters in Wyoming that it is safe to go to the polls with all of the safeguards put in place," she said. 'Should they choose not to, as always there is the option to request an absentee ballot.'

Directions for requesting an absentee ballot can be found on the Secretary of State's website.

Voters need to request an absentee ballot from their county clerk, and they will mail it to the voter. If a person is not registered to vote, they need to register in person at their county clerk's office, or they can mail in their voter registration form as long as it is notarized with the required information, Wheeler said.