JACKSON, Wyo. — With one week left before general Election Day, Teton County voters are turning out in record numbers to cast their ballots early.
Teton County Clerk Maureen Murphy briefed the Teton County Board of County Commissioners for the second time on how early voting activities are going at the county level during their Monday, Oct. 28 voucher meeting.
“We have had a steady stream of traffic downstairs for the early voting,” Murphy said. “We hit our primary total turnout last Wednesday at 9 a.m.”
As of Monday morning, Murphy said 3,577 in-person early votes had been cast and 1,135 absentee ballots returned, although Murphy noted that she had probably close to 200 more absentee ballots waiting to be counted.
That brings the total votes cast so far to 4,712, or 34.5% turnout. Murphy said that high early voter turnout is being seen across the state too.
Wyoming’s Secretary of State Chuck Gray sent a press release Tuesday sharing that as of Monday, over 76,000 ballots had been cast in-person or by mail, accounting for over 30% of Wyoming voters.
Friday was the peak day in Teton County so far, with 383 early voters casting a ballot, one more than the highest day in the 2022 election, Murphy said.
For comparison, during the last presidential election, when early voting was a 45-day period, about 6,000 absentee ballots were returned and 5,400 people voted early. “We could easily hit that next week, I won’t be shocked if we do,” Murphy said.
Early voting is available and open to all electors at the absentee polling place, located in the basement of the Teton County Administration Building at 200 South Willow Street, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It opened on Oct. 8 in accordance with the Wyoming state law that passed in 2023, shortening the early voting window from 45 days to 28 days leading up to the election.
Voters can also stop by the Administration Building and pick up a ballot and take it home, if they fill out an absentee ballot request form, available either in-person or online. The same form can be used to pick up a ballot for someone else, or a handwritten note from the person can be used to pick up their ballot.
The absentee polling site is not open on Election Day. Voters must go to a designated Vote Center on Election Day. According to Teton County, the last day to drop off an absentee ballot is at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4. All absentee ballots must be received in the Clerk’s Office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to be counted.
For more information about local candidates, where to vote, and ballot initiatives, visit Buckrail’s Election page.
