On March 9, the Wyoming legislature passed HB 40, which adds a column for the date of signing to independent candidate petitions. Wyoming law doesn’t let signers sign for more than a single independent candidate for the same office. However, with no date, without this new bill, it has been impossible to know which petition was signed first, when a voter signers for multiple candidates for the same office.
Instead of complicating the petitioning process in this way, they could have done the better thing and repealed the law barring voters for signing more than one petition.
I’d be curious as to how many other states have a law like Wyoming’s that restrict the number of petitions an individual can sign to one. If a state is going to have a law like this (not that I agree with it, but assuming it has to be dealt with), I think it’s better that a signer date his/her signature, rather than rely on a “race to the courthouse” to determine whose signature counts for whom and whose signature doesn’t. As a recall, in Wyoming, Jill Stein and Evan McMullin had several signatures in common, and because Stein beat him to submit, his signatures were tossed out. This lead to him not making the Wyoming ballot.
I have worked on petition drives in Wyoming on two occasions. It is a difficult state for petitioning. Wyoming has a low population, which is spread out. There are not that many places where you can stand there that carry public foot traffic that won’t kick you out. Also, Wyoming has a low rate of voter registration. I recall one time I was there only 37% of the population was registered to vote, and the other time I was there it was around 43%. Wyoming is the only state in the country where registered voters get removed from the voter rolls if they miss one statewide general election. Wyoming does have election day voter registration, but they don’t advertise it much, so most of the people who live there don’t know about it. The only other way to register to vote in Wyoming is for a person to go to their county election office, and fill out the voter registration form in front of the county election clerk. Few people do this, or even know that this is an option.
The law that prohibits registered voters from signing petitions for more than one independent candidate for the same office ought to be repealed.