Join Us:

If you are reading this, it is because the Natrona County Democratic Party would like YOU to get involved in making our county, state, and country a better place for all people. 

The Natrona County Democratic Party champions the values of opportunity, sustainability, and integrity. We believe in fostering an inclusive society guided by principles of fairness, equality, responsible stewardship of our environment, and good governance. Our core values are centered around freedom, security, democracy, and equity.

Our vision for a strong democracy includes county, state, and national issues, with an overall strategy of proactive planning and legislation. Our goal as a party is to promote good policies and elect Democratic candidates in Natrona County that show we are Here For Good.

We want you to join us in this effort. At a time when our values are under attack more than ever, we need everyone to pitch in, including by registering as a Democrat.

Why Register As A Democrat?

The bottom line is this: registering as a Republican does not help advance our shared values, results in our values losing out, makes it more difficult for popular solutions to be implemented, and makes it all-around harder to organize around our common beliefs against a sea of red.

Switching parties to try and change the outcome of a Republican Primary is a strategy that has been tried many times in Wyoming politics, most notably in support of Liz Cheney against Harriet Hageman. We get the logic, trust us. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work. It has been tried for years across the state, and where has it gotten us? There are more elected officials who are pushing Wyoming into “Freedom” Caucus rule, not less. 

Not only that, it actively harms the ability of those who share our values to get elected while aiding the “Freedom” Caucus takeover of the Republican Party. Plus, due to new election laws, it is harder to switch parties now than it was before, which makes it more important to register with the party that shares your values, the Democrats, rather than register as a Republican. Voters must switch parties 3 months before the August primaries. No longer can you switch parties at the polls during the primary unless you are a voter registering for the first time. We now have to pick a party sooner – and it should be the Democratic Party.

The numbers have been thoroughly crunched, crossover voting didn’t impact either Governor Mark Gordon’s or Liz Cheney’s races – not by a long shot. Local races that are often celebrated as wins, such as Julie Jarvis’ defeat of Jeanette Ward, do not change the following truth: The “Freedom” Caucus is more powerful than ever. Democrats who are secretly registered as Republicans will not be the solution to “Freedom” Caucus rule. Showing that we have a functioning opposition by running and registering as Democrats will.  The bottom line is this: switching parties hurts us, both in perception and materially. 

This is not to say that all registered Republicans are bad people or that there haven’t been good people who have run as Republicans to defeat the “Freedom” Caucus. It is to say, however, that even when these people are elected, they face pressure to conform with the increasingly “Freedom” Caucus Wyoming GOP. Additionally, we can fight the good fight on both sides: We can (and should) be registered Democrats fighting to elect Democrats, and encourage actual Republicans to run and defeat the “Freedom” Caucus. That is the united front that can actually accomplish the goals we do share with anti-”Freedom” Caucus Republicans. But it should be up to actual Republicans to clean up their party as we build a mobilized front to combat their party’s damage to Wyoming. Wouldn’t it be better if we elected Democrats who we know share our values, we know will not have to conform, and we know will not face a heated primary? Our energy would be better placed building Democratic numbers.

Here are 10 reasons why you should register as a DEMOCRAT instead of a REPUBLICAN:

1. Registering Republican directly gives money to the Wyoming State GOP. 

We are already outnumbered and at a disadvantage, and losing an estimated 35% of Democrats to party switching makes for a devastating impact on our ability to fight and win. What’s more? The Wyoming GOP financially benefits from more registered Republicans. According to Article 3 Sec. 12 of the Wyoming GOP’s Bylaws, registering as a Republican increases the total number of registered Republicans in a county, which is directly used to calculate that county’s required “county share” payment to the state party. Because each county’s payment is partly based on its percentage of registered Republicans, more registrations mean a higher share of the state party’s budget that county must contribute . In that way, registering Republican generates more funding for the Wyoming GOP by increasing the required financial contributions from county parties. They then use that extra money to support “Freedom” Caucus candidates in Wyoming. 

2. You can elevate issues that matter to you and force incumbent Republicans to speak to issues they have never had to before. 

Incumbent Republicans enjoy the privileged position of never having to be challenged on their record and decisions. Registering as (and running as) a Democrat gives you the opportunity to be the challenge and show people there is an alternative vision for our county and state.

3. Republican candidates almost always run unopposed in Natrona County, giving voters virtually zero real choice in elections. 

To make matters worse, few people vote in the primaries, meaning the general population is forced to settle on a singular candidate selected by an ultra minority of people that are increasingly on the extremes. Why not present a different choice for people, showing them that they don’t have to stick with the status quo?

4. Party Switching reduces our county and state numbers, making us (and our values) less visible to the electorate at-large. 

This creates a feedback loop, where people assume there are less of us than there actually are because we are not as visible due to low numbers, causing them to feel alone in their beliefs and values. This then discourages them from being open about their values or running for office. They are driven to register as and to vote in the Republican Primary because they hear “that is the true election” and “it doesn’t matter anyway because there are no Democrats.” But there are Democrats, a lot of them, registered as Republicans. We change that perception by having more numbers.

5. If we stick together and show that Democrats are registered and on the ballot, we will have a better chance to defeat the “Freedom” Caucus and its takeover of Wyoming.

6. The more registered Republicans there are, the more material support they get from the national Republican Party, and the safer they feel in their one-party control of the state. 

7. The fewer registered Democrats there are, the less material support we get from the national Democratic Party, and the more unmotivated everyday people feel to get involved. This is to our detriment, not our advantage.

8. Registering as (and running as) a Democrat puts the party out there as a viable alternative. 

9. Registering as a Democrat puts Republicans on notice. 

Registering as a Democrat shows Republicans that we have had enough of the false promises they have made to Wyoming. Registering as a Democrat is not just practical, it is symbolic.

10. Registering as a Republican forces us to sacrifice our values in order to align with the one-party state. 

We can be proud of our values and register proudly as Democrats who believe in freedom and democracy, all without aligning with the party that is paving the way for the “Freedom” Caucus to control our lives. When party switching to vote in the Republican Primary, voters are still going to be picking between candidates who are submitting themselves to the Republican Party Platform, which is becoming increasingly problematic and harmful to Wyoming.