WY Legislative Committee Discussing Elections In Sheridan

Next year (2022) is a big election year in Wyoming, as the governorship,  among other things, will be up for grabs.

But could the rules change as to how to win an election?

On Thursday and Friday (September 2nd and 3rd) the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee is meeting at Sheridan College.

Among the issues up for discussion include redistricting, possibly changing the date of the election primaries, what to do if an election runoff is needed and it includes a write-in candidate, and changing the election rule that a candidate must have more than 50-percent of the vote to win, and not a simple majority.

Republican State Senator Ogden Driskill from Devils Tower is the chairman of the committee and is also the Senate Majority Floor Leader.

He says the more than 50-percent of the vote to win issue has been a hot topic as of late. 

“It was wanted to be dealt with in a more expeditious fashion, but the way the constitution is, there just isn’t a way to do it fast, but the committee is trying to react to as we do politically, to what the people of the state want.”

One bill that was defeated by the committee was to make the primary election an open primary, instead of the current format, where a voter can only vote within a specific political party.

Next year’s legislative session will be a 4-week budget session and is scheduled to begin on February 14th.