Voters braved high winds and cold temperatures but were greeted with a bright sunrise as they hit the polls in Laramie on Election Day. Democrats and Republicans show up for a plethora of different issues.
Some, like David Fails, a Republican in Albany County, said he was happy to vote but wished the ballot had more power behind it.
“I'm definitely happy to have voted,” said Fails. “Definitely wish I was in another state to have voted – obviously Wyoming, it ain't gonna affect much.”
Wyoming carries only three electoral votes and the state hasn’t gone blue since 1964.
“I vote Republican, it's going to be Republican,” said Fails.
Wyoming has been a brief highlight for each of the major presidential nominees. Vice Pres. Kamala Harris’s campaign, beginning only a few months ago, has prioritized time in swing states, choosing not to campaign in Wyoming. However, she has been campaigning with Wyoming's former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. Former Pres. Donald Trump attended a private fundraiser in Jackson back in August but has otherwise focused on swing states like Harris.
However, being in deep red territory hasn’t stopped the enthusiasm of blue voters here. Like Destiny Sneed from Laramie.
“I’m voting for Kamala Harris!” said Sneed.
“I am happy to be done with [voting]. I’m glad there's early voting, so we could get it done, and I'm happy to vote as well. I feel like I can make a choice essentially and feel heard a little bit.”
So far, more than 100,000 Wyomingites have cast their ballot early, according to the secretary of state’s office. Research shows that voters tend to vote down ballot according to their presidential candidate preference.
However, some voters are still motivated by more state-centric issues, like Meara Hill and Mitch Foght. Hill says academic freedom, and the involvement of lawmakers in the affairs of the University of Wyoming, was something they wanted to see “a major change” in. Foght agreed.
“I do think that the legislature has been just heavily involved with campus politics and [the] campus administration,” said Foght. “Especially in DEI, as well as recently with the volleyball game. I just thought that was very ridiculous.”
Since 2020, the Trump campaign has continued to voice debunked claims of systemic voter fraud, saying they may dispute the result of the elections should Trump lose. Research on the matter frequently finds voter fraud to be little to nonexistent in most states, including work done by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. The foundation found four cases in Wyoming. Wyoming officials have also explained their counting process. Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin told Wyoming Public Radio, “There has been no incontrovertible evidence or irrefutable evidence that we've been presented with that our machines used here in Wyoming, and specifically Platte County, have been corrupted.”
Allison Garnet, a resident of Laramie, said she trusts Wyoming’s voting system and holds dear the “civic duty” of voting.
“I trust our electoral process and I'm grateful that we have a vote,” said Garnet. “I just watched Gladiator with Russell Crowe last night, in Rome 168 AD, and knowing that now, we're not just the mob. You know, we have a vote and it matters that we can do this.”
Presidential elections are not a holiday in the U.S. However, 28 states, including Wyoming, have a law that enforces time off for workers to vote. Bethany Kelly is one of those workers who took time off to cast her ballot. Like many others, she was greatly concerned about the presidential race, while feeling confident in her local officials.
“I feel very strongly against a lot of Trump's positions, so I do feel very strongly about the vote I cast on the federal level. On the state level, I'm pretty confident in the representation that we have at the moment,” Kelly said, adding: “Not a huge fan of Hageman.”
Before heading back to work, Kelly expressed a feeling that could be seen in the eyes of Democratic and Republican voters alike: election exhaustion.
“I’ve kept in the loop and at this point, I kind of just wanna wake up on Inauguration Day,” said Kelly.
Follow our election day blog for updates from around the state.
