Wyoming’s election law requiring documentary proof of citizenship and establishing voter residency requirements is facing lawfare from the leftwing lobbying group, Equality State Policy Center, and Hillary Clinton attorney Marc Elias to overturn the measure.
HB 156 became law without the governor’s signature in March in accordance with the state constitution after he declined to veto the bill before the deadline. In a letter explaining his decision not to sign the bill, cited in the complaint, RINO Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called some of the requirements “arbitrary” and lauded Wyoming’s “already excellent track record with election integrity and security.”
He further asserted that the law will be “unclear and perhaps awkward for our county clerks to consistently apply with any degree of certainty” and welcomed lawfare, stating, “I am allowing this bill to become law despite the likelihood that it will invite litigation.”
“Because this legislation adheres to neither the original construction of our Constitution nor federal law in its durational requirement, I cannot sign it as such. Because I believe this Act – although redundant – offers some useful improvements, I am letting this bil pass into law without my signature,” the letter concluded.
The law requires voters to prove their citizenship and attest that they’ve been a bona fide resident for at least 30 days prior to an election to register to vote. Accepted proof of citizenship includes a driver’s license, tribal ID card, passport, citizenship certificate, naturalization certificate, selective service registration, consular report of birth abroad, or a birth certificate.
As The Gateway Pundit reported last year, Governor Gordon vetoed an amendment to require proof of citizenship and residency in the state’s election procedures manual. The proposed rule change “would have required acceptable identification for proof of identity, including proof of Wyoming residency, when registering to vote in Wyoming, as well as to provide uniformity and clarity concerning providing evidence of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote,” read a statement from Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s office.
In a letter, also cited by Marc Elias in the new complaint, explaining his veto on April 12, 2024, Governor Gorden argues that the rule change falls outside of the Secretary of State’s statutory authority, and “the assertion that there is no mechanism for ensuring voters do not misrepresent their residency or citizenship is inaccurate.”
Secretary Gray previously slammed the Governor for “enabling Biden and the most radical leftists in America who are trying to help illegal immigrants vote in our elections.”
The lawsuit against HB 156 argues that proof of citizenship requirements will not curb illegal voting, calling the issue “a problem that does not exist.” It further claims that “the new restrictions will exclude citizens from the electoral process.”
Similar to arguments against the SAVE Act in Congress, the lawsuit also alleges that “Women—as well as Hispanic, young, and low-income voters—are less likely to have acceptable documentation and, in many cases, face greater hurdles to obtaining it.”
Secretary of State Chuck Gray told The Gateway Pundit that he challenges opponents of the measures, including Democrats and their leftist media allies, to “show me one line that stops a woman from being able to register to vote with a maiden name on a government document.”
Elias and Equality State Policy Center ask the court to find that the law “violates the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.”
Gray told us he thinks the Marc Elias and the Democrats are “trying to establish a test case” to set a legal precedent against the SAVE Act and state laws that attempt to mandate documentary proof of citizenship.
Gray slammed the “radical left” in an X post earlier this month and promised, “We will fight this lawsuit and the false claims in it. And we will win.”
The law firm of notorious Leftwing election attorney has just sued me in federal court to try to stop our proof of citizenship and proof of residency bill. This lawsuit shows how far the radical Left is willing to go to try to stop common sense election integrity measures. We… pic.twitter.com/yODNTlghwI
— Secretary Chuck Gray (@ChuckForWyoming) May 9, 2025
Gray also issued the following statement from his office:
“This lawsuit shows how far the radical Left is willing to go to try to stop election integrity. The far-left’s lawsuit filed against me by notorious left-wing attorney Marc Elias’s law firm, is a meritless attempt to undermine the common-sense election integrity measures Wyomingites want. Proof of citizenship and proof of residency are common sense, conservative measures pivotal to election integrity, which is why house Bill 156 was the number one priority of our conservative election integrity agenda during the 2025 Legislative Session. I will be vigorously defending Wyoming’s proof of citizenship and residency requirements. We will fight this lawsuit and the false claims in it. And we will win.”
In response to a lawsuit filed against him, Secretary Gray issued the following statement on defending Wyoming’s proof of citizenship and proof of residency requirements in court: pic.twitter.com/NJlADXca39
— Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office (@WyomingSOS) May 12, 2025
Read the full complaint below:
The post Marc Elias Sues Wyoming to Stop Law Requiring Proof of Citizenship and Residency to Vote – Secretary of State Chuck Gray Vows to Fight appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.