Author Topic: What does it take to vote in WY?  (Read 5554 times)

Offline Atlas Shrug

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What does it take to vote in WY?
« on: February 02, 2006, 08:39:41 AM »
This may belong elsewhere (FAQ?).  If so, I'm sure it will be moved appropriately.

While clearly 100% relocation to WY is ideal from the FSW perspective, IMHO there is "money left on the table" if we don't consider those that may not be able to completely move to WY, but are willing/able to co-locate in WY and give up voting rights in their other location in order to help the FSW cause.  Such folks can thus be partial help in the infrastructure component, but 100% help in the voting/electoral component.

Thus what does it take?  Only a WY driver's license and an address?  Is there some residency test?  Time based?  Tax based?  Is it possible for someone (or several folks) to rent/buy a simple domicile there yet spend only a portion of the year there, yet still vote either in person or absentee?

I tried some web searches to find the answers to the above, but came up short.  No time to really dig in now, so I'm taking the lazy route by posting here - hopefully someone has already figured all of this out.  I'm coming to the game rather late, so I hope that this hasn't been hashed out before.  That said, even if it has, this will be a question that others will ask.

Yes, it may seem to be a FSW-Lite cop-out, but from a practical perspective it may make a difference.  In today's mobile world, it is something that must be considered IMHO.

Hope I'm not ruffling feathers.  If I am, lemme know!
Keep your powder dry,

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Offline rhodges

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Re: What does it take to vote in WY?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2006, 09:26:15 AM »
I don't know all the rules, but I can share my experience.  Last year, when I went to the courthouse in Sundance to do my car titles and registrations, I also registered to vote.  It is pretty convenient that the county clerk, assessor, and treasurer are all in the same side of the courthouse and usually there is no waiting.

I went to the county clerk's window and told the lady that I wanted to register to vote.  It seemed to me that she gave me a look like "Oh, really.  I am not sure that we want any more voters here."  Or maybe there are just not many people registering to vote and she was temporarily taken by the novelty of my request. She opened up a drawer under the counter and pulled out a form asking for my name, address, etc. for me to fill out.  I do not believe that there is any particular minimum residency requirement, but the lady was serious about checking my Wyoming driver's license and my information on the registration card.  Since I had been previously registered in Nevada, she also wanted me to fill out another card renouncing my old voter registration.  Then she gave me my voter registration card to bring to the next polls.

The whole experience made me think that the county people are very serious about voting, and as far as reasonably practical, to prevent non-residents from voting.  A few months later, I even got a call from the county clerk's office.  It seems that I left my party affiliation blank, and she wanted to fill it in so that my voter registration was complete.  Of course, there is the chance that she was also confirming my residence too...
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Offline Paul Bonneau

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Re: What does it take to vote in WY?
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2006, 09:55:09 AM »
The registration statutes are found here:
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/statutes/titles/title22/chapter03.htm

They in turn reference the requirements for residency, found here:
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/statutes/titles/title22/chapter01.htm

Quote
(xxx)  "Residence" is the place of a person's actual habitation. The construction of this term shall be governed by the following rules:

    (A)  Residence is the place where a person has a current habitation and to which, whenever he is absent, he has the intention of returning;

    (B)  A person shall not gain or lose residence merely by reason of his presence or absence while:

        (I)  Employed in the service of the United States or of this state; or

        (II)  A student at an institution of learning; or

        (III)  Kept at a hospital or other institution; or

        (IV)  Stationed at or residing on a military reservation or installation or at a transient camp maintained for relief purposes by the government of the United States in this state. No person shall be excluded as a voter solely because of his residence on a federal enclave within the state. This factor shall be considered with all others in the determination of the person's residence within the state for voting purposes.

    (C)  A person shall not lose his residence by leaving his home to go to another state, another district of this state, or to another country for temporary purposes, with the intent of returning, if he has not registered in the other state, district or country;

    (D)  A person shall not gain residence in a county if he enters it without the intent of making it his current actual residence;

    (E)  If a person removes to another state with the intent of making it his residence, he loses his residence in Wyoming; except that in a general election year, if his registration is valid in Wyoming when he leaves this state and he is unable to qualify under the laws of his new state of residence to vote at the primary or general election, he shall be deemed to have retained residence in Wyoming for purposes of voting by absentee ballot in the primary or general election;

    (F)  A person who takes up or continues his abode at a place other than where his family resides, shall be a resident of the place where he actually abides.
 

Notice how government workers get special treatment?  ::)

It's funny, I thought there was some requirement that actual residence within the state needed to be for half a year plus a day, but that must not be for voting purposes. I think it is so, to be considered a Wyoming resident for tax purposes, if I'm not mistaken.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2006, 09:59:11 AM by Paul Bonneau »
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Offline Boston

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Re: What does it take to vote in WY?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2006, 03:49:51 PM »
from Atlas Shrug:
Quote
Yes, it may seem to be a FSW-Lite cop-out, but from a practical perspective it may make a difference.  In today's mobile world, it is something that must be considered IMHO.

Hope I'm not ruffling feathers.  If I am, lemme know!
Nope, it's no cop-out, and you're not ruffling any feathers.

It can be perfectly legal, and your political support to the
freeom agenda would be most welcome.

Many Americans choose their "official" state home base for
voting and tax reasons, while they spend more time elsewhere.
(E.g., President Bush the First, whose hotel room in Texas
saved him from state income tax elsewhere.)

Residency requirement for voting is 30 days, a federal standard,
I believe.  Check out W.S. 22-3-102, or there abouts.