Albany County Discusses Vote Center Locations for May 5 Sales Tax Election

Voters in Albany County may cast ballots at the Albany County Fairgrounds (3510 S. 3rd Street, Laramie), Albany County Public Library (310 S. 8th Street, Laramie), Laramie Ice & Events Center (3510 E. Garfield Street, Laramie), Municipal Operations Center (4373 N. 3rd Street, Laramie) and Rock River Town Hall (321 Avenue D, Rock River) under a consolidated vote-center plan discussed by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting that began at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 17. The locations were listed in a City of Laramie notice and were reported as approved by Wyomingnews at the meeting.

The public notice announcing the agenda item was published Feb. 14, and the City of Laramie advisory included an invitation to the community: "Anyone interested in commenting on the proposed Polling Places is encouraged to attend." The notice also sets the voting model in plain terms: "Voters in all election districts and precincts are allowed to cast their ballot at any of the listed vote centers, regardless of their otherwise designated district and precinct."

The vote-center plan applies to the May 5 special election, described in the City of Laramie notice as the "1% Specific Purpose Sales and Use Excise Tax Election" and characterized by Wyomingnews as the county's "sixth-penny sales tax." Albany County Clerk Kayla White told Wyomingnews that lower turnout in special elections drove the consolidation decision: "In special elections the turnout normally is much less than what it is for primary or general elections. Therefore, consolidating the polling places is more cost effective. ... Not only in that consolidation, (but) doing them as vote centers."

White also addressed absentee and early-voting arrangements. "We will not have an absentee polling place for the special election due to staffing issues and the cost of being able to do that," she said, and added, "We will have early voting in my office. We will not transition out to the election building until before the primary."

The City of Laramie posting provides street addresses for the listed centers but contains one ambiguous line: "Municipal [...] Center 3510 E. Garfield Street Laramie, WY 82070," alongside a separate entry for "Municipal Operations Center 4373 N. 3rd Street Laramie, WY 82070." Wyomingnews listed the five approved vote center locations without street addresses and used a slight name variant, "Laramie Ice & Event Center." Those discrepancies in naming and addresses emerge from the published notice and the meeting coverage.

Wyomingnews coverage of the Feb. 17 meeting also reports that the commission reviewed elected-official salaries for the next four-year term and approved funding for roof repairs at the Albany County Fairgrounds Activities Building. The county website lists its office address as Albany County, 525 E. Grand Avenue, Laramie, WY 82070, and the Feb. 14 posting of the notice appears on both the City of Laramie and Albany County calendars.