Gov. Mark Gordon Makes Excuses As Wyoming Enacts Voter Proof Of Citizenship Law Without Him
Wyoming has enacted a law requiring proof of citizenship to vote in elections, despite Republican Gov. Mark Gordon refusing to sign off.
“It’s the culmination of two years of back and forth with an insider, very weak Governor,” Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, a Republican, told The Federalist. “While he refused to sign the bill, I’m so glad that it is becoming law without his signature. This is a win for the people of Wyoming and the fact that the people of Wyoming want election integrity.”
House Bill 156 amended state law to require “proof of United States citizenship” when registering to vote including a valid driver’s license or tribal ID (without an indicator of non-citizenship), a valid U.S. passport, or a certified copy of a birth certificate. It also required proof of residency in Wyoming for at least 30 days before the date of the election. Gordon allowed it to become law without his signature March 21.
Gray told The Federalist the bill is essentially a “state version of the SAVE Act,” a bill proposed in Congress requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. John Bear, passed the state House by 51 to eight, with three excused, on Jan. 20. It passed the state Senate by 26 to four, with one excused, on Feb. 28. After the legislature adjourns, Wyoming law gives the governor 15 days to act — by signing, vetoing, or allowing it to become law without his signature. In this case, Gordon allowed it to become law without his signature.
In a letter to Gray explaining his decision, Gordon said he agrees with “responsibly ensuring only Wyoming citizens can vote,” but called the law “redundant” — even though a noncitizen in Campbell County, Wyo. voted in 2020.
Without pointing to anything specific in the bill, the governor expressed concern the law would keep clerks from accepting “well-worn, sunbleached, or wrinkled identification cards,” or that “[s]eniors may also be disenfranchised, as may rural residents who carry their wallets as they work may find their ID insufficient if it has suffered a drop on the shop floor.”
Gordon also cited the Wyoming constitution’s requirement that voters be residents of the state for one year, calling the bill’s 30-day residence requirement “arbitrary.” “Because this legislation adheres to neither the original construction of our Constitution nor federal law in its durational requirement, I cannot sign it,” he wrote.
The governor took a direct shot at Gray’s previous election integrity efforts, saying “this legislation now gives the Secretary of State the authority he was trying to usurp by passing rules he had no authority to pass last spring.” He was apparently referencing rules Gray proposed to require proof of residency, which the governor shot down.
The Federalist asked Gordon’s office for comment, but a spokesperson declined to share anything beyond the letter and a press release. Gordon previously refused to say whether he would sign the election integrity bill, as The Federalist’s Shawn Fleetwood reported.
Passage of this bill “marks a pivotal moment for election integrity in Wyoming,” Gray said in a press release.
“Only United States citizens, and only Wyomingites, should be voting in Wyoming elections. Period. HB 156 makes Wyoming the first state in the nation to apply proof of citizenship for registering to vote for all elections,” Gray said in the release. “I am thrilled that the priorities of the people of Wyoming have won out.”
Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He is a spring 2025 fellow of The College Fix. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.
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