Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has joined an eight-state coalition to fight voting rules implemented by the Biden administration in 2021.
The federal government said the executive order was designed to expand voting access to people who have traditionally faced difficulties with voting, like Native American tribal members, people of color, and those with disabilities.
The order is an attempt to ease voter registration rules and to expand vote-by-mail access and the use of ballot drop boxes for those who can’t make it to voting sites.
But Gray said it not only violates the U.S. Constitution – it’s an attempt to harvest votes.
“This is really the provenance of the states and it’s not in the delegated authority of the agency that issued this executive order,” Gray told Wyoming Public Radio. “So it’s inappropriate, from a constitutional perspective, from a statutory perspective.”
Gray recently urged county election clerks to forgo ballot drop boxes for this upcoming election. He said they’re not a safe or secure way to vote.
There have been three cases of voter fraud in the state since 2000, according to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said she intends to allow the use of ballot drop boxes in her jurisdiction. Absentee voting for the upcoming primary election runs from July 23 to August 19. The primary election is scheduled for August 20.
The Supreme Court will decide whether or not they will hear the case in September.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
