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Senate narrows enforcement route in "false voting" bill, restores investigative role to county clerks
Summary
The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 28, 2025, amended and passed House Bill 154, changing the bill to remove a provision authorizing the secretary of state to request investigations and reinforcing county clerks’ local investigative role.
The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 28, 2025, adopted amendments to House Bill 154 related to false voting and then passed the bill on third reading. The adopted changes removed language that would have authorized the secretary of state to request investigations in certain cases, keeping primary investigative authority at the county level.
Supporters of the amendment argued county clerks are the officials closest to local elections and are best positioned to address alleged irregularities. Senator Cooper, who moved an amendment to strike secretary-of-state authority, said county clerks "do an excellent job" and asked colleagues to "let them do their job without interference." That amendment was adopted on the floor following a standing division.
Opponents and others urged cooperative work between the secretary of state and county clerks. Senator Steinmetz pointed to an earlier amendment calling for consultation between offices and said that collaboration would improve the system. Senator Hicks cautioned that some situations (for example, a person voting in another state and then in Wyoming) may be difficult for a county clerk to investigate alone because the clerk cannot compel investigation across state lines; Hicks described the situation: "if you wanna vote out of state and then you come in here, that's the duty of the secretary of state or to then investigate that, not the county clerk." Senator Case and others clarified that county clerks routinely reach out to other states or law enforcement when allegations arise.
A second, technical amendment was also adopted to clarify language about voting in another state and voting in Wyoming for the same federal election. After adopting the amendments, the Senate passed House Bill 154 on third reading; the floor roll call recorded the bill's passage.
The changes leave primary election administration and many investigatory duties with county clerks while preserving mechanisms for cooperation among election officials.
