Pete Illoway Discusses Secretary of State Bid

A candidate for Wyoming Secretary of State visited Laramie yesterday and discussed his bid for the office.

Republican candidate Pete Illoway currently lives in Cheyenne, but says he frequently visits Laramie and will even be back soon for the Ivinson Memorial Hospital Grillers Cup.

Illoway has lived in Cheyenne since 1963. He grew up in Pennsylvania and attended school at CSU in Fort Collins. After he graduated in 1963, Illoway moved to Wyoming and has lived and worked in the state ever since.

His campaign has brought him to nearly every county in Wyoming. He says the experience has been a great one, and he loves travelling and seeing the beauty the state has to offer.

Illoway says when it comes to running for Secretary of State, he knew it was the right choice for him. He said that he has experience with what the position is, and he was happy to come out of retirement to throw his hat into the ring for the job.

Illoway says the thing that sets him apart from his competition is his experience. Illoway served on the Wyoming House of Representatives for House District 42 for fourteen years from 1998 to 2012. Illoway says that experience is very important when it comes to the Secretary of State position. He says it is important to know the process when you need to take action.

“I do understand how to maneuver through that legislative process so that you can get things done,” says Illoway.

He adds that he has the most experience of anyone running, and it’s not all in politics. He says he is involved in the community, has served on boards, and cares about community opinion on the issues.

He says one of the first things he would do if elected would be to make sure that people can get election results faster. He says that many rural polling places do not have adequate access to the internet. He would like to get those polling places more access so they can report their results in a more efficient and convenient way.

In addition, Illoway says there are some improvements to the office he would like to see.

“You can always improve an office, and I want to get more technology in that office,” he says.

The reason for this is that it can be very difficult to apply for business corporations and LLC’s with the current system. He says many of those forms are not available or difficult online, and he would like to improve that. By making it more automated and technology friendly, he says he will save time and money by not doing so much by hand.

One concern he said would need addressed is the renovation to the capital building. It is likely that the Secretary of State office will need to be moved to a new location, and he wants to make sure that it is in an area where people can come in and visit the office. He wants to be accessible for citizens.

In addition, Illoway wants to encourage everyone to vote this election. He points out that the early voting period has begun. In fact, he made a point to use early voting already and has already cast his ballot. In addition, people can vote absentee by mail or go to the polling place on the day of the Primary Election on August 19. He says there is simply no excuse not to vote.

Others running against Illoway for Secretary of State in the Primary Election include Ed Buchanan, Clark Stith and Ed Murray.

For more information about Pete Illoway visit his website at peteilloway.com. You can also follow him and his campaign on his Facebook page.