Wyoming

Chuck Gray Claims Press ‘Misleading’ Public Over Voter Residency Rules

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2024

Chuck Gray Claims Press ‘Misleading’ Public Over Voter Residency Rules

Secretary of State Chuck Gray wasted no time accusing the press of misleading the public about his new proposed voter residency rules during a hearing at the State Capital on Friday.

“The media has published a number of articles with misleading statements that have caused confusion about what these rules do,” Gray said.

If finalized, the new rules would require people registering to vote in Wyoming to show an additional proof of residency if their identification doesn’t already show it.

Gray said it’s difficult to prove only Wyoming residents are voting in the state’s elections without this rule. Although Wyoming is overwhelmingly Republican and with very few issues of election fraud proven in the past, Gray said proving residency is pivotal to maintaining election integrity and voter security.

“One of the key questions that I hope to hear from you about today is whether that is just going to be a slogan that isn’t followed through upon, or whether it will be followed through upon with real teeth, which is what this rules does,” Gray told the audience.

There were about 100 people at Friday’s hearing and around 150 more watching live online. The majority of the public comments, in person and online, were in support of the proposed rules, many from prominent members of the Wyoming Republican Party.

Although the hearing was intended for the public to provide feedback on the proposed rules, at many instances the hearing devolved into a back-and-forth between members of the audience criticizing arguments made by others.

Illegals Voting?

Gray and many others also expressed concerns about illegal aliens voting in Wyoming elections. There have been no documented cases of this happening. Although Wyoming law already prohibits people in the country illegally to vote, Gray’s rules further clarify the point.

Laramie resident Paul Montoya and others said the recent influx of illegal immigration across the southern border should be a concern for Wyoming’s elections.

“We should be proactive in making sure there’s not a problem in Wyoming,” he said.

Sheridan political activist Gail Symons believes this is unfounded.

“The fears of mythical busses of out-of-state people showing up to register and vote is unsubstantiated both from a practical standpoint and the data,” she said.

Legislators Weigh In

There have been three cases of prosecuted election fraud since 2000 in Wyoming, according to the Heritage Foundation. Some who spoke at Friday’s hearing said they see this not as proof there’s no election fraud, but rather that Wyoming needs to tighten its voter requirements to test if more fraud is happening than what’s being reported and prosecuted.

State Reps. Tony Locke, R-Casper, and John Bear, R-Gillette, said they support the proposed rules and believe they will show if there is more election fraud in Wyoming than what is now known about.

“If we don’t know what the effect of not having these rules is, how can we possibly know whether the Legislature is going to enact statutes that will impact the voters?” Bear questioned.

A few from the public went further and made claims they know of people who are not Wyoming residents or American citizens who have successfully voted in Wyoming elections.

Overall, seven state legislators spoke at the hearing.

State Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, was the most critical of the lawmakers about the proposed rules, saying they subvert legislative authority.

Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, agreed with Case and said Gray doesn’t have authority to do what he wants to.

“The Legislature should pass laws, not the secretary of state,” she said.

Newsome also said she is “disappointed” that Gray is bringing his rule now, and that he never discussed the proposal in any of the legislative Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee’s interim meetings in 2023. She asked Gray to wait until a 30-day durational bill is addressed during the upcoming legislative session before enacting the rules.

“This is premature on your part,” she said.

Gray pushed back, saying he did bring up his proposal during the committee’s meeting in October.

Rep. Mark Jennings, R-Sheridan, also countered on Gray’s behalf and said the same people opposing the rules also support superfluous rulemaking in other agencies.

Clerks Don’t Support

Gray noted that he took four meetings with the state’s county clerks and sent extensive emails about the proposed rules before announcing them. Earlier this month, the clerks sent a memo expressing “significant concerns” about them.

Malcolm Ervin, Platte County clerk and president of the Wyoming County Clerks’ Association, spoke against the proposed rules Friday and said working with Gray on them isn’t an endorsement.

Although he admitted to Cowboy State Daily that Gray’s rules probably won’t impact a significant number of residents, Ervin said people would be surprised to learn how many people they will affect.

Teton County Clerk Maureen Murphy mentioned how many people in Teton County routinely change residences from year-to-year because of high housing prices in that area. She said the new rules would make it more difficult for these people to vote unless they lied about their residency.

Lander Republican state Sen. Cale Case was one of the most vocal critics of the proposed rules on Friday. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily)

Effort To Vote

Case also expressed concern the rules will suppress voter turnout. Specifically, he said some living on the Wind River Reservation, where many voters live a transient lifestyle, will have to clear significant hurdles to be able to vote. The rules also put new requirements on homeless people proving their residency.

“There’s a significant chance of harm but not much chance of benefit,” Case said.

Others supporting the rules said illegal voters “disenfranchise” the efforts of legal voters and that meeting the burden of proof to show one’s right to vote is a matter of self-responsibility, not for Gray to facilitate.

Saratoga resident Joey Correnti also said there’s nothing stopping voters rights groups from helping people prove their residency, and a few encouraged Gray to establish a robust informational campaign to inform voters about the changes being proposed less than 200 days before the primary election.

Cheyenne resident Richard Garrett encouraged Gray to consider senior citizens like his late mother, who would’ve been impacted by the new rules if she were still alive, and Ervin said his grandmother would be affected.

Gray said he will do so.

“We’re working to get that balance right, because it is a balance,” Gray said.

Ervin also worries that the rules aren’t being brought without enough time for county clerks to prepare for them in the upcoming elections, and that the changes could lead to much longer lines at polling places on Election Day.

One of the biggest concerns the clerks and others have raised about the rules is that they will require people who have a P.O. box listed on their IDs to supply an additional form of identification to prove residency. There are many driver’s licenses provided by the Wyoming Department of Transportation that only have a P.O. box listed as a form of address.

Gray said he will consider a revision to the rules that would limit them to only requiring an ID showing Wyoming residence. Ervin said the clerks would be more supportive of that.

“That would provide some advancement in ensuring only residents of the state of Wyoming can register to vote and provide a bridge to when WYDOT will be in compliance in statute,” Gray said.

But some of Gray’s supporters also urged him to push back on this, noting how proof of residency is required to get a P.O. box or a driver’s license in the first place.

Not Durational

Gray also blamed the media for its reporting of a separate legislative proposal he made last spring for a 30-day residency requirement with his proposed new rules, two measures he says are not connected.

“It’s caused a lot of this confusion what the media has reported,” Gray said.

In August, when the durational residency requirement proposal was first considered by the Corporations Committee, Ervin mentioned how the state has no laws proving definitive proof of residency and that the 30-day residency requirement wouldn’t resolve that.

“Without proof of residency to address the issue, there is still a huge hole in our state’s approach to residency,” Gray explained.

Under current law, only election judges can challenge a voter’s residency status in Wyoming.

Out-Of-Staters

A few who testified also wondered about out-of-state voters participating in Wyoming elections.

Rep. Scott Smith, R-Lingle, said he knows of “numerous” people who used out-of-state identifications to vote in the 2022 elections.

“I think that’s an important thing to stop,” he said.

It’s legal to use an out-of-state ID to vote in Wyoming, but this comes with a few stipulations. First, Wyoming law requires residents to notify WYDOT within 10 days when moving within the state. New residents have a year to get a license when moving to the state. Second, those registering to vote swear an oath that they are legal in-state residents.

Platte County Clerk Malcom Ervin testifies at a hearing about new Wyoming voter rules. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily)

Leo Wolfson can be reached at Leo@CowboyStateDaily.com.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Has Half Of The West’s 26 100-Year-Old Dude Ranches

Published

2 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Has Half Of The West’s 26 100-Year-Old Dude Ranches

Like many rabbit holes, it all started with a simple question.

About two years ago, Jaye Wells was at a small gathering in Cody when the topic of the 2026 centennial anniversary of the Dude Ranchers’ Association came up.

Wells asked how many dude ranches in the country had a comparable 100-year legacy to the Cody-based member organization.

“Nobody in the room knew,” said Wells, co-founder of the True Ranch Collection, with a portfolio of dude ranches around the West, including the Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch in Cody.

Thus began a yearslong and, at times laborious, project of tracking down the number of dude ranches in operation since 1926, which are commemorated in “100 Years of Dude Ranching,” a coffee-table-style book published by Wells in December.

Though it took a lot of digging through records at the Wyoming Historical Society, old newspaper clippings and cross-referencing family records, the team behind the book finally identified a fitting answer to Wells’ question.

Of the 94 dude ranches that are members of the association today, 26 were in operation and accepting guests a century ago.

“That shocked us,” Wells said. “Every ranch has got its own little curiosity.”

The team behind the book was strict about the criteria it established: To be included in the book, a dude ranch must have been accepting guests in 1926. Had they expanded their criteria, the list would have been even longer.

“There are a lot of ranches that are 97 or 98 years old,” Wells said.

A Tribute To Hospitality

As much as the book celebrates the long legacy of dude ranching, it also serves as a tribute to a unique way of life — particularly in Wyoming.

The state is home to half of the 26 centennial ranches: A Bar A Ranch (Encampment), Absaroka Ranch (Dubois), Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch (Cody), CM Ranch (Dubois), Crossed Sabres Ranch (Cody), Darwin Ranch (Jackson), Eatons’ Ranch (Wolf), the Hideout Lodge and Guest Ranch (Shell), Medicine Bow Lodge and Guest Ranch (Saratoga), Paradise Guest Ranch (Buffalo), Rimrock Ranch (Cody), Shoshone Lodge and Guest Ranch (Cody), and Triangle X Ranch (Moose).

As the book details, the origins of dude ranching trace back to the 1880s, when a ranch near modern-day Medora, North Dakota, began charging guests from back East room and board when they’d come out West to hunt bison and other big game.

The word “dude” had become a popular term by that time for a man with fancy duds.

More and more ranches started opening up to guests in the 1900s, including welcoming many young men whose parents had sent them West to dry out and stay out of trouble.

“You had to be wealthy to stay at a dude ranch back in the day,” Wells said.

But life on these ranches today might look surprisingly similar to a century ago.

Ranch hands might start rounding up horses at 4:30 in the morning and preparing breakfast so it’s ready for guests when they awaken, Wells said. In addition to historic photos of the ranches, photographer Scott Baxter spent four months on the road capturing how the ranches look now.

While still offering a vacation that’s more expensive than a typical tourist might be able to afford, Wells said one of the constants at the centennial ranches spread across four states is the service and experience they offer.

“The strongest element that’s kept dude ranching going all that time is a common denominator,” Wells said. “It’s the desire to offer great hospitality.”

As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
It was while kicking around ideas for the 100-year anniversary of the Dude Ranching Association that Jaye Wells asked how many ranches have a similar legacy. “Nobody in the room knew,” Wells recalled. That’s how the new book “100 Years of Dude Ranching” was born. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)

Pressures To Modernize

Even so, dude ranch owners do feel some pressure to modernize to appease guests who have become downright uncomfortable unplugging.

Such changes have seen ranches offering Wi-Fi, say, or packing days with lots of activities.

Even though guests will quickly learn that riding a horse all day is exercise in and of itself, Wells said he’s felt that pressure, too. “We have a full-blown exercise room at White Stallion Ranch,” he said of one of his ranches near Tucson, Arizona. “You have to have it now.”

What’s more, even though guests will rave about how relaxing they find their stay or how much they appreciate the quality time with loved ones, they’re booking shorter and shorter stays.

In the 1920s, people from out East might come to a ranch for months at a time, and there was a time not so long ago when a one- or two-week stay was the norm.

“Now, guests only want to stay three nights. That’s the number one trend in the business we see,” Wells said. “We forget we’re so connected now, it’s almost too much. We’re being bombarded by information 24 hours a day.”

Wyoming has 13 100-year-old dude raches, half of the 26 centennial dude ranches in the West. That's one of the things the team behind the new book — Wyoming has 13 100-year-old dude raches, half of the 26 centennial dude ranches in the West. That’s one of the things the team behind the new book “100 Years of Dude Ranching” learned in documenting the industry’s century of Western hospitality. Above is a scene from the Blackwater Creek Ranch. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)

‘It’s Such A Joy’

Putting this book together gave Wells a newfound appreciation for the diversity of Wyoming’s topography and landscapes.

The project also offered constant reminders about why he loves dude ranching so much and how pivotal the business was to shaping the West.

Of course, he’s also reminded of how unique this business is while conversing with guests over the years — including tourists from abroad who marvel at the idea of being able to shoot a gun, spend a week bonding with a horse or simply get to decompress in a way they haven’t been able to do since childhood.

“I would venture to say it’s one of the most iconic symbols in the world,” Wells said of dude ranching. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy.”

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Wyoming

(PHOTOS) Casper Holistic Expo packs the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds

Published

14 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

(PHOTOS) Casper Holistic Expo packs the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds

CASPER, Wyo. — There was magic, or something like it, in the air on Saturday as the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds presented the 2026 Casper Holistic Expo, Casper’s longest running holistic expo and a hallmark of the beginning of spring in Natrona County.

Countless vendors from Casper and beyond gathered with their goodies to present them to eager customers searching for something a little different.

The holistic expo featured crystal and metaphysical shops, tattoo and body piercing studios, henna and glitter tattoo studios, holistic shops, tarot readings, fortune tellers, magic and so much more. There was truly something for everyone, and Christina Kuhn, the lead organizer, said that nobody who came to the expo would leave disappointed.

“This actually started over 20 years ago,” Kuhn said. “I’ve been doing it for years. My mom did it for seven years before me. And Judy Ick, who actually does our photography, she did it before that. So it’s been a very long, very longstanding and growing event.”

Kuhn said that the Holistic Expo has grown exponentially over the years.

“When Judy passed it down to mom, there were 38 booths,” she said. “After mom passed it down to me, there were 78. Now I think we’re up to, like, 98.”

The booths are as eclectic as the people who run them. There’s magic, mysticism and moonlight; storytellers and palm readers; conversationalists and creators. There are CBD products, organic teas, energy testing, and even fudge.

“Some of this is kind of a special niche,” Kuhn shared, “but some of it is not. We’ve got a chiropractor. We’ve got people that are working with healing modalities. Some of it’s spiritual stuff. We’ve got crafts, too.”

There’s a wide variety of vendors and customers as the Holistic Expo, and Kuhn said she wouldn’t want it any other way. The most important thing they do, Kuhn said, is donate to local nonprofits.

“People can either pay the $5 door fee — anybody that’s 13 or over — or they can donate five nonperishable goods,” Kuhn said. “We started donating that to poverty resistance, and then we did City Park Church. This year we’re donating to the Wyoming Food for Thought Project.”

Kuhn said this was just a simple way to give back to the community, a community she and her business have been a part of for years. Kuhn owns a store in downtown Casper called A Place for Passion, and the Holistic Expo also allows her to bring some merch from her store and put in on display with a variety of other items. It’s a fun way to spend a weekend, she said, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

“Good lord, I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she said. “I helped my mom with it for ages and she wanted somebody that would carry on and keep expanding and doing well with it. Before I was helping run the show and managing it, I was a booth. I started sharing a booth with my mom because I only had a few things and I wasn’t sure how well they’d sell. But then it just expanded and took off, and now here I am.”

Kuhn said it means a lot that she’s able to continue the Holistic Expo for her mother.

“It’s nice to keep expanding something, especially something that contributes so much to the community,” she said. “There are so many people that come out and enjoy everything that they get here. And it’s a big opportunity for them to connect with others, to connect with people that have stuff they want to offer them.”

That, Kuhn said, is her favorite part of the Holistic Expo — meeting people.

“It’s just nice connecting with people and helping them out in any way that you can,” she said. “Everybody’s got their own knowledge, gifts, products that they’re putting out — services, whatever it is. So being able to share that with others is awesome. You’ve got to come check it out. It’s an awesome experience. There’s a little something for everyone.”

The Casper Holistic Expo is happening Saturday until 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Industrial Building at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds.

Photos from the Holistic Expo can be seen below:

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Wyoming

Wyoming teen discovers rare and ancient megalodon shark tooth off Florida coast

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming teen discovers rare and ancient megalodon shark tooth off Florida coast

A 6-inch megalodon shark tooth was found by a Wyoming teen during a dive trip off Manasota Key, Florida earlier this week.

Sixteen-year-old Aiden Andrews and his father Brian were on a guided dive with Fossil Junkies, a local fossil-hunting tour company.

Captain John Kreatsoulas told FOX 13 Tampa Bay reporter Kimberly Kuizon that while finding small megalodon teeth isn’t uncommon, finding one that size is quite rare.

Video captured the moments when Aiden and his father celebrated underwater after making the remarkable discovery.

Popularized by Hollywood monster movies, the Carcharocles megalodon was the largest shark to have ever lived, according to the Smithsonian Institution.

A 6-inch megalodon shark tooth was found by a Wyoming teen during a dive trip off Manasota Key, Florida. Fossil Junkies