Cheney offers party switch tips

CASPER — Rep. Liz Cheney’s campaign is providing Democrats with instructions on how to vote for her in Wyoming’s Republican Primary. Cheney’s campaign website and a campaign mailer for her have instructions on how to switch party affiliation, which in Wyoming can occur as late as election day.
 A link at the top of Cheney’s website offers information on various ways to vote for her in her heated Republican primary contest against Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman. It directs viewers to a list of voting-related questions including, “How do I change my party affiliation to register as a Republican so I can vote for Liz?” 
“To change your party affiliation or to declare a new affiliation, complete the Wyoming Voter Registration Application & Change Form and submit it to your county clerk’s office no later than 14 days before the primary election, '' the campaign advises. “You may also change your party affiliation at your polling place on the day of the primary or general election, or when requesting an absentee ballot.” 
The website also asks whether someone has to be registered as a Republican to vote for Liz in the Republican Primary. 
“Yes. Wyoming law allows voters to change their party affiliation at the polling place on election day, or you can change your party affiliation in advance,” the campaign website states. 
The Cheney campaign has been vague on whether it’s seeking Democratic votes in Wyoming. The farthest campaign representatives have gone is to say that they’re not building a “Democrats for Cheney” coalition. 
“Liz is proud to represent all Wyomingites and is working hard to earn every vote,” said Jeremy Adler, a spokesperson for Cheney.
Crossover voting has existed in Wyoming for years. But its role in perhaps the biggest political race in the state’s history has brought the issue back to the forefront. The idea that Democrats would cross over to vote for Cheney — a solidly conservative lawmaker — illustrates how much this race is a referendum on Trump. 
Cheney angered many Wyoming Republicans when she voted to impeach the former president over the Jan. 6 attack. That frustration grew as she continued to rebuke Trump for lying about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She has driven that wedge still deeper with her service as vice chairwoman and one of two Republicans on the House select committee to investigate the attack. 
“What Cheney doesn’t understand is that Democrats will drop her like a bad habit after she’s no longer useful to them on the Jan. 6th Committee,” said Carly Miller, Hageman’s campaign manager. “She’s in No Man’s Land — Democrats just see her as a temporary tool, while Republicans are fed up with her completely.”
The impact Democrats could have over the race is limited by how relatively few there are in Wyoming. Democrats here make up only about 15% of total registered voters in the state, or 44,600 as of this month. There are currently 197,868 registered Republicans. 
What’s more, despite its reputation, crossover voting has not been shown to hand victory to more moderate candidates in Wyoming. 
Still, the 2022 House race is unlike any race the state has seen. There has been a concerted effort from hard-line conservative state lawmakers to outlaw crossover voting, but they have not been successful to date. 
This past legislative session, a bill to outlaw crossover voting died despite endorsements from Trump and the state GOP. 
At a Hageman campaign town hall during the legislative session, she and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — who has endorsed her — encouraged attendees to lobby lawmakers to vote in favor of the crossover voting bill. 
Meanwhile, some of her most loyal advocates are also encouraging typically liberal voters to switch their affiliation and vote for the incumbent congresswoman. 
Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper, encouraged those in the recent Casper Pride crowd to vote for Cheney, while clearly acknowledging that many of the people at the event lean more liberal than the congresswoman. 
 
 
This story was posted on June 24, 2022.