Primary party affiliation deadline approaching

BUFFALO — Ahead of the 2026 primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 18, voters should consider key dates to be eligible to cast a ballot.

Registered voters must declare their political party by May 13. 

Before 2023, voters could change their party affiliation while voting in the primary election. Wyoming’s primary elections are closed, meaning that only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary and only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary.

“From a processing standpoint, it was very difficult to keep changing party affiliations at the polls or in the days or weeks before elections,” Johnson County Clerk Jackie Camino said.

This year is a midterm election year. The state’s lone seat in the House of Representatives, currently held by Republican Rep. Harriett Hageman, will be up for grabs, as will one of two Senate seats. Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis recently announced that she will not seek reelection, and Hageman announced that she will run for Senate.

The election will also decide Wyoming’s next governor and the other top four state officials, including secretary of state, auditor, superintendent of public instruction and treasurer. 

Municipal and county officials will also be on the ballot.

Residents who did not vote in the 2024 general election should ensure that they are still registered to vote. The clerk’s office sends notices to voters who were purged from the voter roll, which occurs each February as guided by Wyoming Statute. Those who are unsure whether they are still registered should call the clerk’s office to confirm, Camino said.

Voters who have moved since the last election should update their address with the clerk’s office to ensure they are registered in the correct precinct. Voter registration closes ahead of the primary election on Aug. 3, though voters can register on the day of the primary election.

“The reason they cut off registration ahead of an election is to give you time to have accurate voting rolls for judges,” Camino said.

Camino said that registered voters interested in serving as an election judge during the primary or general elections this year should contact the clerk’s office. 

Ideally, the county will have 90 poll workers on each election day, which Camino said has always been an attainable number.

The Wyoming Legislature passed several election bills in 2025 and 2026 that county clerks will need to implement in this year’s election. Camino said that the Wyoming County Clerks Association will meet next month to determine how to implement the changes.

“What we’re trying to do is create some uniformity,” she said.

This story was published on April 2, 2026.