Four Republicans running to be Wyoming’s next secretary of state took the stage at Washington Park, discussing their views on voting laws and election administration. The candidates, Quenton Eagle Oviatt, Robert Short, Rachel Williams, and CJ Young, agreed on the importance of safeguarding elections but differed on how easy it should be to vote.
Voting Laws and Election Administration
The candidates were asked about the current law requiring voters to lock in party affiliation months ahead of the primary. Young and Williams supported the current law, with Young stating that the Republican primary should be “for Republicans.” Oviatt and Short disagreed, with Oviatt calling the rule “ridiculous” and Short saying it was contrary to the founders’ vision.
The candidates also discussed open primaries, with Williams supporting the current closed system and Young saying he would study the question before changing anything. Oviatt argued that the data favors ranked-choice voting, while Short said the will of the people should decide.
Business Side of the Office
The candidates also discussed the business side of the secretary of state’s office, which is home to more than 800,000 registered entities. They agreed on the need to modernize the software and bring back an investigator. Short suggested requiring registered agents to disclose who owns a company, while Young called for reviving an investigator position lost to a budget cut.
Williams pointed to a Nevada fraud-screening program as a model, and Oviatt wanted software that catches fraud before a filing clears. The candidates also discussed the State Board of Land Commissioners, with Young stressing the board’s fiduciary duty to generate revenue while hearing every stakeholder.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
