Politics in the Park: Ballot access divides Republicans vying for Wyoming secretary of state
CASPER, Wyo. — Four Republicans running to be Wyoming’s next secretary of state took the stage at Washington Park on Wednesday, agreeing on much of what the office does and dividing mainly over how easy it. . .
CASPER, Wyo. — Four Republicans running to be Wyoming’s next secretary of state took the stage at Washington Park on Wednesday, agreeing on much of what the office does and dividing mainly over how easy it should be to vote. The seat is open because Secretary of State Chuck Gray is running for Congress. The candidates were Quenton Eagle Oviatt, a Hudson academic advisor and certified mediator; Robert Short, a Converse County commissioner and Glenrock businessman; Rachel Williams, a three-term state representative from Cody; and CJ Young, Wyoming’s former state elections director and a Cheyenne small-business owner. The Natrona County Republican Women and the county Republican Party hosted the forum, one of the last before the Aug. 18 primary. PrioritiesAsked what matters most in the office, Williams called the secretary a “firewall for state sovereignty” who safeguards elections and keeps Wyoming open for business. Young, who helped run the 2024 election from inside the office, said the job shifts with the calendar and comes down to triage:“What’s the most important thing that we’re working on right now. ”Short pointed to business filings and the office’s role administering the laws the Legislature passes. ElectionsOn election administration, all four praised Wyoming’s county clerks and pledged to back them with training and resources. Young said the state already runs clean elections and warned that “our adversaries look at states that are smaller like ours,” pointing to the security task force and tabletop drills he helped stand up. Oviatt was sharpest on the current office, saying clerks told him they’d had more contact with the candidates on stage than with the sitting secretary, Chuck Gray, over four years. He pushed a long-overdue election “clean up bill,” saying clerks want “a simple clean up bill” rather than anything sweeping. A clear rift opened over ballot access. Young and Williams said they support the current law requiring voters to lock in party affiliation months ahead of the primary. Young said the Republican primary should be “for Republicans,” and Williams noted that an effort to move the deadline even earlier had failed in committee. Oviatt, who advises college students, said the rule sours young people on voting. Forcing voters to pick a party before candidates have even filed is “ridiculous,” he said, and it disenfranchises the young. Short agreed, calling forced party choice contrary to the founders’ vision. The divide widened further as the candidates discussed open primaries. Williams said she supports the current closed system. Young said he’d want to study the question before changing anything. Oviatt went furthest, arguing the data favors ranked-choice voting. “I know that’s a bit of a dirty word,” he said, adding he would at least back an open primary. Short said the will of the people should decide, “period. ”The Secretary of State’s businessThe office’s business side, home to more than 800,000 registered entities, produced broad agreement: modernize the software and bring back an investigator. Short said registered agents aren’t required to disclose who owns a company, letting bad actors operate “with impunity,” and he backed a bill from Sen. Barry Crago of Johnson County to require disclosure. Young said that Wyoming trails only Delaware in filings. He called for reviving an investigator position lost to a budget cut and building ties with law enforcement to investigate potential bad actors. Williams pointed to a Nevada fraud-screening program as a model. Oviatt, who said scammers regularly target his own mother, wanted software that catches fraud before a filing clears. Short volunteered that he owns seven LLCs himself and made the case for the online annual-report filing the office still lacks. State lands, school fundingOn the State Board of Land Commissioners, which raises money for schools off state land, the candidates balanced revenue against local input. Young stressed the board’s fiduciary duty to generate revenue while hearing every stakeholder. Oviatt pitched what he called “radical transparency and bodacious collaboration,” saying too many landowners never learn a decision is coming until it’s too late. Short, drawing on his years as a county commissioner, said the local voice has to be weighed against the board’s constitutional revenue duty. Williams said she would hold town halls and is “not into back door, closed door deals. ”Protecting voter dataAn audience question about handing Wyoming voter data to the federal government drew the sharpest comments of the night. Williams said the state could cooperate with the current administration while protecting voters’ privacy. Young, a law-school graduate, said he’d scrutinize any request and refuse a dubious one. Oviatt went after the incumbent by name, calling Gray’s release of voter data “an abdication of his constitutional duty. ”Short offered a two-word barb: “Sue me. ”The Republican primary is Aug. 18.