Gov. Mark Gordon let HB 156 go into law without his signature. The new law requires proof of U.S. citizenship and Wyoming residency to register to vote in the state. You must have lived in the state for 30 days for residency. It also says a county clerk can reject someone’s registration due to “any indication” that the person is not a U.S. citizen or Wyoming resident. The law will go into effect on July 1st.
Proof of U.S. citizenship can include a valid Wyoming driver’s license or ID, valid tribal ID, Real ID driver’s license or ID issued by any other state. It will be up to the secretary of state to decide what documents or other proof establishes Wyoming residency.
In Gordon’s explanation letter, he pointed out discrepancies between the law and the Wyoming Constitution. For example, the constitution defines residency as one year while the law only requires 30 days.
“I am an enthusiastic supporter of the notion that citizens should be residents of Wyoming for a considerable period of time prior to being able to participate in our elections (it took me eighteen years),” Gordon wrote. “Not only does it seem sensible, but it obviously comports with the original construction of our Constitution. I am unclear why the Legislature and the Secretary of State included an arbitrary thirty-day residency requirement when reiterating the Wyoming Constitution’s original requirement of one year would have conformed more closely with the framers original intent. If the Legislature is already willing to test the bounds of legal propriety, they might as well respect original construction.”
Plus, he said some wording in the bill concerned him. The new law says someone could get rejected from voting for “any indication” of a problem with voter registration documentation. He said this could be difficult for county clerks to apply since it’s an unclear standard.
“Would the presence of a P.O. box on an identification card be sufficient to disqualify a voter? If so, there is at least one high ranking member of the Wyoming Republican Party, and bonafide U.S. citizen, who could be disenfranchised. What about well worn, sunbleached, or wrinkled identification cards?” wrote Gordon. “No doubt, it is up to the voter to make sure all their “papers” are in order before they can vote, but still, I remain concerned that the vagueness of the language in this Act could lead clerks to either err on the side of over-enforcement or under-enforcement.”
Ultimately, Gordon said the law will most likely invite litigation. He ends his letter writing, “because it is laudable to continuously improve our standards for identification, I am thrilled that this legislation now gives the Secretary of State the authority he was trying to usurp by passing rules he had no authority to pass last spring. The will of the Legislature is finally clear on this point. Let us remember, though, it is ultimately essential and core to the workings of both our Wyoming and United States Constitutions that a bona fide citizen be able to vote without undue difficulty, and that right should not be abridged or diminished as a result of measures taken to conduct an election.”
HB 156 was part of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus Five and Dime plan and it was Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s Election Integrity Agenda. Both are claiming Wyoming is the first state in the nation to require proof of U.S. citizenship and state residency to vote in all elections.
“It will ensure that we protect Wyoming elections, and is also key in supporting President Trump’s pivotal work to have proof of citizenship for registering to vote with the SAVE Act at the federal level,” Gray wrote in a press release. “I am thrilled that the priorities of the people of Wyoming have won out. I appreciate the work of Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette) and the Wyoming Freedom Caucus on this important issue.”
Bear was the sponsor of the bill. On his Facebook page, he thanked those who called and emailed the governor to get the bill passed.
This was the last bill of the 2025 legislative session on the governor’s desk.
Click this link and search by bill number or title to see drafts of bills from the 2025 legislative session. A list of bills Gordon has signed, let become into law without his signature and vetoed is here.
