44% of Wyoming Registered Voters Have Already Voted, But That’s Not a Record – Cowboy State Daily

CHEYENNE – Visual signs were painting a picture that Wyoming was on track to break early voting records after dismal primary turnout.

Long lines of people waiting to vote wound outside courthouses across the state throughout October, giving county clerks, state officials and voting rights advocates optimism that 2024 could be a record turnout year.

Those long lines are partly due to the fact that the window for early voting this year was only 28 days, 17 days less than the 45 days allowed for previous elections.

While it could still be a record year for overall voter turnout after Election Day ends on Tuesday, it appears that Wyoming may have fallen short of breaking the early voting record set during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. , which was 131,516 votes, according to the US Elections Project. This was the last year with a presidential election.

By the end of the day Monday, the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office reported that 112,824 people had voted statewide — 44 percent of the total number of registered voters in Wyoming.

Although not a record overall, this year’s voter turnout surpassed previous years in votes cast per day with an average of 4,029 votes. The average number of early voting for 2020 per day is 2,922 votes.

“Voter turnout continues to be ahead of the 2022 general election in the Cowboy State as eligible voters in Wyoming exercise their right to vote,” Secretary of State Chuck Gray said in a press release Monday. “Voting is an important part of our republic and I am proud of our efforts to ensure we are ready for Election Day. I’m excited for the general election on Tuesday.”

Early voting trend

That’s still a high turnout compared to Wyoming’s long-term early voting data, showing it has gained in popularity. It also shows that general election turnout will smash the August primary turnout of 122,718 ballots cast.

In 2016, 79,667 people voted early in Wyoming, according to the US Election Assistance Commission. In 2012, 43,173 people voted early in Wyoming, according to the US Elections Project.

Another factor to consider is that early voting activity in 2020 was almost as high as it was due to the significant number of people who voted absentee that year due to concerns about COVID-19.

View from the line

On Monday, a line of people waiting to vote stretched from the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne and more than halfway around the block. Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said there was a similar line late Friday afternoon.

“As long as they’re in line by 5 p.m., we let them vote,” she said.

Late Monday, Brandi Gay and Stephanie Sturtevant found themselves near the end of the line. Although none of them were excited about what they expected to be a 90-minute wait, Monday was the last free time they had to vote.

Morgan Sivanen and her daughter Joy Weaver were in a similar situation, driving from their home in Carpenter to vote.

“I’m helping her because voting with three kids can sometimes be difficult,” Sivanen said.

The only time Sivanen could remember waiting longer in line to vote was when she was younger in Iowa, an experience she described as “so cold.”

Taylor Keast was in a similar situation. A stay-at-home mom, Monday was one of the first times she was able to get out to vote in her first Wyoming election.

“Mostly because I have a strong opinion this year,” she said.

At the head of the line, Ralph Atchley said he waited about two hours. A few steps ahead was Liliana Valdez, who gave a slightly shorter weather forecast. No one regretted waiting as long as they did.

“It’s my civic duty,” Valdez said. “I have no right to complain if I don’t vote.

Valdez said her only wish was that she had brought coffee with her to stand in the chilly weather.

But why the long queues?

There has been a significant shift this election season that has helped create the impression that early voting numbers have skyrocketed. This was the shortening of the early voting period, which was reduced from 45 to 28 days this election season.

As a result, more people voted early on a per-day basis than in past elections, reducing voter turnout to 17 fewer days and creating longer lines outside courthouses.

In Laramie County, Lee reported 22,878 people had voted early as of 4 p.m. Monday, with about 500 people waiting in line to vote outside the courthouse after that number was reported to the Cowboy State Daily.

In 2020, 27,145 people voted early in the Laramie County general election, but only 14,191 voted early in person. This year, 17,143 people had already voted early in person as of 4pm on Monday, with significantly fewer absentee ballots submitted than in 2020.

Early voting numbers are high across the country, with almost half of electorates voting in 2020 having already voted. Axios reports.

Polls will be open from 7am to 7pm around Wyoming on Tuesday.

Because of the high turnout in early voting, Lee suggested that there may be shorter lines on Tuesday than what was seen on Monday.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at [email protected].