Elections

Wyoming’s last election cycle saw few procedural hiccups and a Freedom Caucus surge to power in the House. But members of the caucus want to crack down on voter fraud anyway.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford cited “the rule of law” in a recent speech talking about how several states have taken legal action against changes they say would put unfair burdens on voters to prove citizenship or on how states count votes.

Public comment will be accepted through June 20.

The new law requires proof of U.S. citizenship and Wyoming residency to register to vote in Wyoming. It also says a county clerk can reject someone's registration due to “any indication” that they don’t qualify. Gordon said the law is ripe for litigation. It was the last bill waiting for action by the governor.

The governor also vetoed a bill that would have barred using state funds or personnel to enforce federal rules about firearms. He likened it to “defund the police” efforts due to its penalties if violated.

In Wyoming, the far-right caucus has been particularly successful. After the recent election, the group will hold a majority in the state house.

Ranked-choice voting is on the ballot in Idaho, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. Alaskans will also consider getting rid of their ranked-choice system.

Indigenous voters represent a fraction of the total voting population, but their vote could be pivotal in battleground states such as Nevada and Arizona. But actually voting is a different story for most Native people – registering to vote and casting a vote is made difficult by distance and a lack of access.

Roughly 1 in 4 Native Americans are not registered to vote, according to the Native American Rights Fund, which analyzed Census Bureau data. In recent years, however, three Mountain West states have passed laws to allow tribes to register them automatically.

In the northwest part of the state voters followed the state trend and chose three Republican Freedom Caucus backed candidates.