CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On Thursday, Sept. 19, Governor Mark Gordon issued an Executive Order (EO) directing state agencies to take further steps to report and prevent non-citizens attempting to vote nationwide.
Executive Order (EO) 2024-11 directs State agencies to take a variety of actions to ensure that non-citizens do not vote or register to vote, including the withholding of voter registration materials, confirmation that voter registration materials are not provided to non-citizens and required reports of any suspected instances of non-citizen voting.
According to the order, agencies “will not enable or facilitate any noncitizen to register to vote or help them to vote.” Governor Gordon is also urging the legislature to provide clarity on the definition of the term “bona fide resident.” To be considered a “bona fide resident” by Wyoming Legislature, a person must reside in Wyoming for at least thirty days before the date of the election.
“Recognizing the Biden/Harris Administration’s disastrous border policies compel us to do all we can to protect the integrity of our elections, I, alongside fellow Republican Governors, have taken the action afforded to me by the Constitution and the Laws of Wyoming to confirm the security of Wyoming’s elections,” Governor Gordon said in the announcement.
In addition, the EO encourages the Secretary of State Chuck Gray and the County Clerks to investigate and verify voter registration. Gray proposed new voter residency regulations at a public hearing in Cheyenne on Jan. 26. During the hearing Teton County Clerk Maureen Murphy said that additional proof of residency laws will make it a challenge for the majority of voters in Teton County because only P.O. boxes are listed on driver’s licenses.
“Without more of an interim to discuss the factors and road blocks to allow eligible voters to register, these rules could lead to inefficient government procedure and an increase of resources needed to retain election judges,” Murphy testified on Jan. 26.
