On February 5, the Wyoming Senate passed SF 160 by a vote of 20-10. Current law lets voters change parties on primary day, at the polls, which effectively gives Wyoming an open primary. The bill does not permit people to change parties at the polls, on primary day. People who want to vote in any particular party’s primary must have joined that party no later than 60 days before a primary.

However, if any party with a primary wants to let people join it on primary day, or during that 60-day interval, then the party has a right to tell the Secretary of State that it wants voters to have that freedom. If the bill passes, it is likely that the Democratic Party would file the notice, so that the Democratic primary would continue to be open.