Most Wyoming elections decided in the primary

CASPER — Just over half of eligible voters in Natrona County participated in the last presidential election, and even fewer voted in the primary elections — turnout numbers local civic engagement organizations are hoping to bring up this year.

Speakers at an informational voting town hall hosted by Better Wyoming discussed voter turnout locally and across Wyoming, voter registration rules, voting etiquette and tracking elected officials’ voting records.

“We just want to get information out there to as many people as possible,” said Ivonne Chavez, Better Wyoming field organizer.

Better Wyoming also has an online accountability tracker that allows anyone to view the voting records of elected officials by county, Chavez added.

Primary turnout crucial for Wyoming elections

Though Wyoming’s population has increased slightly in recent years, fewer and fewer people are registered to vote, said Corey Cronin, Wyoming Civic Engagement Network executive director.

The roughly 17,000 people in Natrona County who voted in the last general election — but not the primary — are missing out on critical races that are decided months before November, he said.

“There’s this gap that we are trying to address,” Cronin pointed out.

Only around 11,000 voters turn out for primary and general elections in Natrona County, he said.

“When one in five people are deciding the trajectory of our state, when you show up, when you participate, you are having an outsized impact on which direction our state goes,” he said.

The low registration figures are due in part to Wyoming’s voter roll purge rules, wherein anyone who does not participate in the last general election is removed from voter rolls and must re-register, Cronin said. Purged voters can register at any time, including at the polls.

“It sounds really bad, but it’s a way for the county clerks to keep clean records,” said JoAnn True, at-large Natrona County GOP member.

Cronin also pointed to the low gaps between candidates in state legislature races, including Rep. Kevin Campbell’s district covering eastern Natrona County and Glenrock, which was decided by six votes in the last primary election.

Eighty-percent of elections are determined in primaries, True said.

On the ballot this year

In this year’s primary on Aug. 18, voters will see all five statewide offices on the ballot: governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasury secretary and superintendent of public education.

Because of an initiative spearheaded by Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, voters who wish to change their party affiliation ahead of the primary election must do so by May 13.

Local elections include three seats on the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners, four seats on the Casper City Council and various council and mayoral seats in Mills, Evansville and Bar Nunn.

There are a handful of other county-level elections, including county sheriff and clerk, that are partisan, Cronin noted.

The general ballot will also ask voters to consider the optional fifth-cent tax, lodging tax and a ballot initiative on property taxes, True said.

How to vote

Anyone who has lived in Wyoming at least 30 days and is older than 18 can download voter registration forms on the Secretary of State’s website or register at the county clerk’s office, Cronin said.

To vote absentee, ballots can be requested beginning 28 days before the election until the day prior to the election from the county clerk’s office; absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election day.

Voters are also allowed to bring sample ballots or voter guides to polling locations, provided they don’t show other voters, True said.

Employers are required by law to provide their employees who work the entire day with two hours time off to vote.

Voters who make a mistake on their ballot can approach an election judge and ask for a new ballot, True pointed out.

“If there’s any question at all, an election judge should call the county clerk’s office so that you can hear and give you information. They just want to make sure that you feel empowered to cast your ballot in a way you want,” she said, adding that older adults or others who need assistance voting are allowed to designate someone to accompany them to the polls.

This story was published on April 4, 2026.