Committee advances bill giving Secretary of State clearer access to YDOT, SAVE and interstate data for voter-list maintenance

House Bill 318, titled Maintenance of Voter Lists, was advanced by the Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee after testimony from the bill sponsor, Secretary of State staff and county clerks. The bill adds statutory authority for the Secretary of State to obtain additional identifying data from the Wyoming Department of Transportation (YDOT) — including alien ID numbers held by YDOT and inter‑state driver/ID data — and to use the federal SAVE program to help verify U.S. citizenship on the statewide voter registration file.

Sponsor Representative Anne Lucas said the bill’s core purpose is “proper voter list maintenance,” and described amendments to Wyoming statute 22‑3‑102 that would clarify data-sharing authority with YDOT and authorize use of SAVE to confirm citizenship status. Representative Lucas said the measure would also create a mechanism for the Secretary of State’s office to notify county clerks when registration records appeared to indicate that a registrant had moved out of state, allowing clerks to take action consistent with statutory cancellation procedures.

YDOT Deputy Director Taylor Rossetti told the committee the proposed language reflects current interagency practice and makes explicit that if YDOT’s proprietary state‑to‑state verification system is changed in the future, the statute would not need to be rewritten to permit similar data sharing. Rossetti added counties would not receive records for individuals who had not met YDOT’s requirements for issuance of a driver’s license or ID card.

Joe Rubino, chief policy officer and general counsel for the Secretary of State’s office, said the bill codifies existing agreements and provides explicit authority to obtain alien ID numbers and other interstate driver license information to identify registrants who may have moved or who are not U.S. citizens. Rubino described proper list maintenance as “a huge priority” for the office.

Fremont County Clerk Julie Friese, representing the County Clerk’s Association, said clerks support the bill and noted that many counties already have agency agreements with YDOT and other state offices to receive records such as death lists and felony conviction updates. Friese described tech differences between jurisdictions and noted e‑pollbook users can often catch ineligible registrants on site, while jurisdictions using paper processes may identify issues after the election.

Committee members adopted a sponsor amendment to broaden the statutory language so that received data may include “other states, including but not limited to information received from [state‑to‑state verification services],” a change the committee said would keep statutory language flexible if YDOT’s proprietary verification system changes.

After amendments the committee voted to advance the bill. The roll call recorded eight ayes and one excused: Representative Kevin Campbell (aye), Representative Knapp (aye), Representative Larson (aye), Representative Lolli (aye), Representative Schmidt (aye), Representative Tarver (aye), Representative Weber (aye) and Chairman Heiner (voted aye); Representative Riggins was excused. The committee reported the vote as 8 ayes, 0 no, 1 excused.

Implementation: Secretary of State staff and county clerks said much of the technical work will require agency agreements and operational coordination between the Secretary of State’s office, YDOT and county clerks. The committee and witnesses discussed using existing administrative procedures and rulemaking to set specifics of data transfer, documentation, and clerk notice procedures.