Early primary voting starts today
Republicans, Democrats and independents can request a ballot by mail or cast their vote in person at the Albany County Courthouse. Sample ballots are now available online.
Residents of Albany County can start casting their ballots — either in person or through the mail — for the 2024 Primary Election, taking part in a number of important races that will shape local government for years to come.
This year, absentee voting periods for both the Primary and General Elections are shorter, thanks to new legislation passed in 2023. What had been a 45-day window is now just 28 days. (UOCAVA [Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act] voters are still give the full 45 days and have been able to submit absentee ballots since early this month. All other voters are limited to the new 28-day window.)
“So if you’re going to request your absentee ballot, you can do that all the way up until the day before the election,” Albany County Clerk Kayla White said. “But just note that your timeframe has decreased.”
Another new law limits crossover voting. That means you cannot change your party affiliation. If you’re registered with the Republicans today, you’ll be voting in the Republican primary this year. If you’re registered with Democrats today, you’ll be voting in the Democratic primary this year.
If you are not yet registered to vote in Albany County, you can still register up to and on Election Day itself, registering as whichever party you choose and participating in that party’s primary. You must be registered to vote to request an absentee ballot.
Mike Selmer, chair of the Albany County Democrats, encouraged residents to cast their ballots as early as possible.
“By going to the courthouse and getting this important civic duty done early, voters have the opportunity to identify potential problems and get them corrected before Election Day,” he said. “Most everything can be fixed on Election Day, but that can be time-consuming and stressful.”
Selmer said those Election Day surprises might include forgetting to bring the right documentation or finding out you’ve been purged from the voter rolls.
Registered voters are purged from the rolls — and must therefore register again — if they did not take part in the last election and either missed or ignored a purge notice from the Albany County Clerk’s office.
“Wyoming has a purge process,” White said. “It sounds so bad when you say ‘purge’ but it’s a way to keep our voter rolls clean.”
Like first-time voters, purged voters can register to vote up to and on Election Day itself.
How to vote early
All voters can find their sample ballot on the Albany County Clerk’s website next to their precinct number. (Voters can find their specific precinct by typing their address into the Wyoming Secretary of State’s polling place locator.)
To vote early:
Request a ballot in person at the Albany County Clerk’s office, or by phone, mail, or email using an absentee ballot request form. However you make the request, you’ll have to confirm your name, birthday, address and party affiliation.
Receive your ballot through the mail or pick it up in person at the county clerk’s office. Fill out your ballot, noting your choices for all the races available to you.
Drop your ballot in the ballot box outside the Elections Office, in the Elections Office itself or with the county clerk’s office within the courthouse. You can also send it in via the mail. If sending your ballot through the mail, keep in mind that ballots must be received no later than 7 p.m. on Primary Election Day, Aug. 20, to be counted.
Alternatively:
Go to the Elections Office on the east side of the Albany County Courthouse, making sure to bring your ID, and cast your vote.
In 2020, the last presidential election year, the Primary Election drew 8,001 voters while the General Election drew 18,744.
In 2022, the Primary Election drew 9,929 voters (4,402 of whom voted early) while the General Election drew 12,811 (5,528 of whom voted early).
What’s on the ballot?
Republicans throughout the county will be nominating their candidate for a single open seat on the Albany County Commission.
“The [Albany County Republican Party] is proud of all the qualified Republican candidates running for County Commissioner,” said Roxie Hensley, chair of the county GOP. “We encourage the public to be well informed about each candidate. You can find their information on our website as well as their individual social media sites. Be an informed voter!”
Republicans living in Senate District 10 — which encompasses all of the county outside city limits, as well as West Laramie and neighborhoods on the northern edge of Laramie — will be nominating their candidate for an open State Senate seat.
And voters within city limits — no matter the party — will narrow the field of city council candidates, deciding which 10 of the 14 filed candidates will see their names printed on General Election ballots this year.
Democrats have no partisan primary contests — though they, like all voters, are free to write in candidates they don’t see printed on the ballot.
Voters who are registered as independent or with a party other than the major two can still take part in the Primary Election as long as they live within city limits. Their ballots feature only their specific city council race — Ward 1, Ward 2 or Ward 3. There are no primary elections for independent voters living outside city limits.