State Becomes First To Require Proof Of Citizenship And Residency To Register To Vote In ALL Elections

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Wyoming became the first state in the nation to “apply proof of citizenship for registering to vote for all
elections,” Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced.

“On March 21, 2025, House Bill 156 was allowed to become law without the governor’s signature. House Bill 156 requires proof of United States citizenship and proof of Wyoming residency to register to vote in Wyoming, as well as institutes a durational residency requirement,” a press release from Gray’s office read.

“House Bill 156 passed the Wyoming House of Representatives 51-8 on third reading, and the Wyoming Senate 26-4 on third reading. The bill was the number one priority of Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s Election Integrity Agenda announced in December of 2024,” it added.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for election integrity in Wyoming,” Gray said in a statement.

“Proof of citizenship and proof of residency for registering to vote are both so important. 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. This was the first priority of our conservative election integrity reform agenda. It will ensure that we protect Wyoming elections, and is also key in supporting President Trump’s pivotal work to have proof of citizenship for registering to vote with the SAVE Act at the federal level. I am thrilled that the priorities of the people of Wyoming have won out. I appreciate the work of Representative John Bear and the Wyoming Freedom Caucus on this important issue. With HB 156 becoming law, Wyoming will further cement our commitment to election integrity, as the only state to require proof of citizenship for all elections, an important priority of President Trump,” he added.

A closer look:

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Per Wyoming Public Media:

Gov. Mark Gordon let HB 156 go into law without his signature. The new law requires proof of U.S. citizenship and Wyoming residency to register to vote in the state. You must have lived in the state for 30 days for residency. It also says a county clerk can reject someone’s registration due to “any indication” that the person is not a U.S. citizen or Wyoming resident. The law will go into effect on July 1st.

Proof of U.S. citizenship can include a valid Wyoming driver’s license or ID, valid tribal ID, Real ID driver’s license or ID issued by any other state. It will be up to the secretary of state to decide what documents or other proof establishes Wyoming residency.

In Gordon’s explanation letter, he pointed out discrepancies between the law and the Wyoming Constitution. For example, the constitution defines residency as one year while the law only requires 30 days.

“I am an enthusiastic supporter of the notion that citizens should be residents of Wyoming for a considerable period of time prior to being able to participate in our elections (it took me eighteen years),” Gordon wrote. “Not only does it seem sensible, but it obviously comports with the original construction of our Constitution. I am unclear why the Legislature and the Secretary of State included an arbitrary thirty-day residency requirement when reiterating the Wyoming Constitution’s original requirement of one year would have conformed more closely with the framers original intent. If the Legislature is already willing to test the bounds of legal propriety, they might as well respect original construction.”

WyoFile reports:

It will now be up to Gray to determine via the rulemaking process what documentation counts as proof of residency. As for proof of citizenship, the law specifies nine different options including a birth certificate, a valid United States passport and a Wyoming driver’s license.

Currently, the voter registration process only requires citizens to provide proof of identity and to attest that they reside in Wyoming and are U.S. citizens.

Requiring voters to reside in a county for 30 days before an election has drawn legal fights in other states. Critics have argued that a durational residency requirement disenfranchises voters who move to a state or a new county or precinct in fewer than 30 days before an election.

“If this Act simply dealt with clarifying the statutory authority for rulemaking requiring proof of residency and citizenship to vote (already constitutionally required), there would be no need for this explanation,” Gordon wrote of his letter. “Unfortunately, that is not the case.”

Under the Wyoming Constitution, voters must be 21 years old, a state resident for at least one year and a resident of the county in which they seek to cast a ballot for at least 60 days. But those requirements are not upheld, as Gordon pointed out, “by the recognition of the supremacy of United States law.”

The U.S. Constitution, Gordon noted, was amended in 1971 to establish 18 as the voting age requirement, which is how Wyoming elections are now run despite the state constitution stipulating 21.

As for a durational requirement, Gordon called 30 days “arbitrary” since it does not comport with the one year specified in the Wyoming Constitution.

“If the Legislature is already willing to test the bounds of legal propriety, they might as well respect original construction,” he wrote.

Gordon also pointed to federal statute that prohibits a U.S. citizen from being barred from voting in a presidential election because they do not meet a durational residency requirement established in state law. The governor’s letter notes that the competing legal language could lead to lawsuits.



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