The 2024 presidential election is beginning to loom large in our public affairs. We are fewer than 10 months from the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, and less than a year from Super Tuesday. By this time next year, we will likely know the presidential nominees, or at least have the field narrowed down to two or three possibilities. With this in mind, Wyoming residents should begin thinking about what the future of national politics holds and how we can be involved.

Opinion

The presidency is the highest profile and most discussed political office in the country — and probably the world. The priorities, leadership and decision-making of the president impact countless aspects of our day-to-day life. The individual in that role touches everything from tax rates to energy policy, and those decisions have major impacts on Wyoming and its citizens. Especially for communities heavily invested in the resource extraction industry, the person who occupies the presidency can be a major factor in whether the community prospers or struggles. Suffice it to say that Wyoming citizens are — and should be — concerned with who our next president is.

However, it is not easy to cast a vote for president in Wyoming, particularly early in the process. Because we are a caucus state, it’s not as simple as showing up to the polls. Instead, Wyoming citizens must navigate an often-confusing set of local party rules and procedures to participate in the presidential nomination process. The caucus process requires interested voters to understand local party rules and procedures governing the caucus and conventions, take the time out of their days to show up and participate in those processes and then hope that party rules result in delegates being allocated in accordance with the will of voters.

As a former Republican Party officer, I can shed some light on the GOP process. The Wyoming Republican Party has a multi-tiered system, beginning with county caucuses. County caucuses are the only opportunity for rank-and-file Republican voters to participate in the presidential nomination process. At county caucuses, voters are grouped by precincts and elect delegates to a county convention. Theoretically, the delegates chosen for the county convention will correspond to the presidential preferences of those precinct voters. In practice, the number of participants is typically small enough that the delegates are chosen by who will agree to serve, not by contested elections. As a result, the people who vote on behalf of Republicans in Wyoming are typically the precinct men and women who are elected plus a few more who are willing to take several hours out of their evening on the county caucus date and several more hours on county convention dates to participate in an arcane and time-consuming procedure.

Our process is convoluted and often confusing, but that gives all the more influence to those who take the time to participate.

It is surprising to many that the Republican caucus process doesn’t give voters an opportunity to cast a ballot for their presidential candidate. Straw polls are discouraged or prohibited by party rules, and even if they were held, their results have no bearing on the delegates’ choice. Instead, the only meaningful vote taken by caucus participants is for who will be a delegate to the county convention. Because of this, it is the people who are willing to sacrifice their time at caucuses and conventions who ultimately choose the delegates who will be sent from Wyoming to the Republican National Convention and what voice Wyoming will have in the Republican presidential nomination.

So what must a Wyoming Republican do to have a say in the 2024 nomination process? First, show up. Our process is convoluted and often confusing, but that gives all the more influence to those who take the time to participate. Because participation is so inconvenient, only a small fraction of eligible voters engage in the process. Second, if you believe in a candidate, be sure to let that campaign know. Caucuses reward enthusiasm as much as broad support.

Cheyenne attorney Khale Lenhart is a former chairman of the Laramie County Republican Party. He can be reached at khale.lenhart@gmail.com More by Khale Lenhart