Wyoming Governor Allows Crossover Voting Bill To Become Law

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon says he supports the basic idea behind a crossover voting bill passed by lawmakers during the 2023 session, but says he is concerned about what he calls "minor flaws."

So he says he will not sign House Bill 103, but will allow it to become law without his signature. The bill forces voters who want to affiliate with one of the major parties to register as Republicans or Democrats before the first day for candidates to file to run for office in May.

The primary election in Wyoming is held in mid-August. Critics of the legislation says it prevents voters from voting for the candidate of their choice, regardless of party affiliation. But supporters, mostly Republicans, argue that allowing voters to change their registration right up until the primary interferes with political party rights to pick their own candidates. The governor's office issued a statement on Thursday which included the following:

Governor Gordon had hoped to receive legislation that would strengthen the closed primary system because he believes Republicans should vote in Republican Primaries and Democrats should vote in Democratic primaries. He made this case in his State of the State Address in 2022.

Nearly three-quarters of Wyoming voters were registered Republicans for the 2022 elections. From this, Governor Gordon noted this perhaps makes the presumed changes more academic than real. “I urge voters to learn about these changes so that they may vote for their desired major party ballot in 2024, stated Governor Gordon.”

Governor Gordon also secured a commitment from the bill’s sponsor to clarify the bill’s ambiguity

2022's Deadliest Wyoming County by Traffic Deaths

While car crashes can occur anywhere, some roads in Wyoming are more dangerous than others.

According to Wyoming Highway Patrol data, there were 117 fatal crashes in the Cowboy State in 2022 resulting in 133 deaths.

Of those fatal crashes, the majority (13.68%) occurred in Laramie County -- two in January, one in February, one in March, two in April, one in June, two in July, three in August, two in September, one in November, and one in December.

Sweetwater County saw the second most fatal crashes last year, 12, while Fremont and Lincoln counties each saw 10.

Albany and Park counties each recorded eight, and Campbell, Converse, and Natrona counties each tallied seven.

The deadliest 2022 crash in Laramie County took place on June 17 when two semis collided on Interstate 80 east of Cheyenne and immediately became engulfed in flames killing both drivers and a passenger.

Laramie County also saw two fatal crashes involving motorcyclists, two fatal crashes involving juveniles, and a fatal crash involving a pedestrian last year.

Below is the Wyoming Highway Patrol narrative of every fatal crash that occurred in Laramie County in 2022.

Source: Wyoming Governor Allows Crossover Voting Bill To Become Law, But Won’t Sign It