Measure requiring voters to use a pen-and-paper ballot passes House

CHEYENNE — Laramie County voters have used touch-screen voting machines in their local elections for years, but a bill passed by the Wyoming House of Representatives on Friday would require voters to use a paper ballot.

House 245, “Pen and paper ballots,” requires all county clerks to set the default voting method to paper ballots, with an exception provided to voters who have a disability. Laramie County is the only one of Wyoming’s 23 counties to use touch-screen voting machines.

Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette, the sponsor of the bill, said the state needs to have uniform election laws across all 23 counties. Secretary of State Chuck Gray previously expressed support for Knapp’s bill during a House Appropriations Committee meeting, saying he found Laramie County’s elections “unsatisfying.”

“In Laramie County, I do the touch-screen, and the receipt prints out, and there’s no way of knowing that the names corresponding on the receipt correspond to the barcodes,” Gray said. “And it’s a very unsatisfying experience.”

Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee spoke against the bill during the committee meeting last week; she told lawmakers it would “upend” her county’s elections. From 2006 to 2013, county voters had the opportunity to weigh in on their preferred method of voting — a majority of them said they preferred the touchscreens, according to Lee.

“We’ve been using these for decades,” Lee said. “They don’t know how to mark a paper ballot, I have to be honest.”

During the bill’s second reading, Rep. Trey Sherwood, D-Laramie, brought an amendment so constituents could choose their method of voting, whether it be paper ballots or touch-screen machines.

“Please consider that all of our constituents should have equal access to their preferred method of voting, whatever makes them the most happy,” Sherwood said, adding the amendment kept the default as paper.

However, Knapp responded that voting is a duty as a citizen, not a matter of convenience. These machines should only be used out of necessity, he said, and urged representatives to vote down the amendment.

“The amendment deals with what I construe as convenience,” Knapp said.

Rep. Cody Wylie, R-Rock Springs, brought a similar amendment that would also allow constituents control on their preferred method of voting.

In support of Wylie’s amendment, Rep. J.T. Larson, R-Rock Springs, said managing elections is a challenging task, and that county clerks should be allowed flexibility, not be restricted, in their election management.

“We are tying the hands, once again, of our local electeds,” Larson said.

Knapp also pushed back on this amendment. As a former county commissioner, the representative said it’s important to have uniformity in Wyoming’s election laws.

Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, brought an amendment to relieve the financial burden of the bill on Laramie County by adding a $150,000 appropriation out of the state’s general fund to help cover the cost of new equipment.

“We should make the statement that we are helping you do the things we are telling you to do,” Yin said.

Knapp said he was “agnostic” about the added appropriation, since counties already have an account reserved for election expenditures.

“You can vote more money to them if you want, but they already have an account to take care of this,” Knapp said.

All three of these amendments failed to pass the body, and HB 245 passed on a vote of 44-16, with two excused. It will now cross over to the Senate for further debate.

This story was published on February 8, 2025.