Cheyenne, WY. –Governor Mark Gordon notified Speaker of the House Albert Sommers that he will allow House Bill 103 to take effect without his signature. There were no constitutional concerns raised with this bill and it had a near super-majority of support in the Legislature. Still, the Governor notes the crossover voting legislation may create confusion for voters. But, the flaws were not sufficient to issue a veto. 

Governor Gordon had hoped to receive legislation that would strengthen the closed primary system because he believes Republicans should vote in Republican Primaries and Democrats should vote in Democratic primaries. He made this case in his State of the State Address in 2022. 

Nearly three-quarters of Wyoming voters were registered Republicans for the 2022 elections. From this, Governor Gordon noted this perhaps makes the presumed changes more academic than real. “I urge voters to learn about these changes so that they may vote for their desired major party ballot in 2024, stated Governor Gordon.” 

Governor Gordon also secured a commitment from the bill’s sponsor to clarify the bill’s ambiguity before the next primary election. 

Please see the full Governor’s letter here.