In some very big news for those concerned with election security and ensuring that only citizens can vote in American elections, Wyoming has gotten the greenlight from the Trump DOJ and a federal judge on its law requiring proof of citizenship to vote, something that could lead to a major change in American election security.
As background, back in March of 2025, Wyoming became the first state in America that requires potential voters to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. Further, it requires voters also prove that they have had residency in the state for at least 30 days before voting, something that many initially worried would lead to it being found to conflict with federal law regarding voting. The law went into effect in July.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican, allowed the bill to go through without his signature. Explaining why he didn’t sign the bill, Gov. Gordon said, “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).”
He added, “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.”
On the other side of things, however, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gehry was much more positive. He expressed his support for the law by stating, “Only United States citizens and Wyomingites should be voting in Wyoming elections.” He added that the new law is “key in supporting President Trump’s federal work.”
The law was then challenged in a suit and sat in legal limbo for about two months, and then on July 1, the DOJ released a press statement in which it announced that it had filed a Statement of Interest in the lawsuit, and was siding with Wyoming in its attempts to protect election security by keeping non-citizens out of its elections.
Describing why it was in support of the law and saw it as legitimate, the DOJ said, “Longstanding Supreme Court precedent recognizes that states have a significant interest in preventing fraud and safeguarding voter confidence in the election process. Wyoming’s documentary proof of citizenship law is a mechanism to enforce laws that prohibit non-citizen voting and ensure that only eligible voters cast ballots.”
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Chiming in with his thoughts, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Gates of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said, “It is a crime for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, and it is important that the American people have confidence in the integrity of our elections. Requiring documentary proof of citizenship is common sense and ensures that only citizens vote.”
Then came the dismissal of the lawsuit, with U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruling on Tuesday, July 22, that the plaintiffs in the case had failed to show they would be personally harmed by the law, thus meaning that they didn’t have standing and their suit was invalid.
Describing as much in his ruling, Judge Skavdahl wrote, “Plaintiff has not adequately demonstrated its standing to sue on its own behalf or on behalf of others in this action. The Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this lawsuit, and consequently it must be dismissed.” As a result, the proof of citizenship law will remain in effect.
The Wyoming law comes in the context of a larger immigration fight. For example, the Trump DOJ is currently suing NYC to fight against its sanctuary city policies. Watch FNC’s report on the suit here: