By next Wednesday, Teton County’s more than 2,400 unaffiliated voters must choose: either Republican or Democrat.
Otherwise nearly 18% of the county’s 13,728 voters will not have an opportunity to participate in most primary races, said Karen Jerger, said League of Women Voters of Wyoming member.
A confluence of new state laws and deadlines means voters are heading into the upcoming decision a bit blind.
“We’re being asked to declare our party affiliation before we’ll know the full slate of candidates,” Jerger said.
This year, candidates have from May 14 until May 29 to file to run.
Wyoming’s majority Republican voter base makes most of its biggest decisions in the primary. As of April 2026, only 15% of the state’s registered voters are Democratic.
This year is shaping up to be a test of President Donald Trump’s endorsements. He has already chosen favorites for a high-profile governor’s race and the U.S. Senate. He has yet to weigh in on the crowded field of 10 jockeying for the state’s lone U.S. House seat.
Unaffiliated voters “will not have an opportunity to participate in any of [those] primary races,” Jerger said.
Wyoming used to have some of the most open primaries as voters could change their affiliation on election day. That changed in 2023 when state lawmakers passed a law preventing the move, which had allowed Democrats to vote for more moderate Republicans.
It was seen by many as retaliation against the mass exodus of the state’s Democrats to to stop the ouster of former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who lost to Trump-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Harriet Hageman.
For those who remain unaffiliated, or the few Constitution and Libertarian party members, primary choices will be limited or nonexistent.
All changes and voter registration can be done in person with ID at the election’s office by the end of May 13. New voters can register, declare and vote on election day, August 18.
Unaffiliated voters who live in the Town of Jackson will have ballots with only one August vote. That’s for the nonpartisan town council race. With no ballot measures on this year’s Teton County midterm primary, unaffiliated voters in the county won’t even have a ballot.
Teton County Clerk Maureen “Mo” Murphy said that more than 100 people have been into the elections office in recent weeks to change their registration, but far less than the thousand-person deluge of party switchers of 2022.
