Mail-in ballots to be sent following delays in Wyoming

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Voters should start receiving mail-in ballots for the upcoming Democratic presidential caucus in Wyoming as ballots will be mailed out starting Wednesday following delays, Democratic Party officials said.

The state Democratic Party originally told voters that mail-in ballots for the state's presidential caucus would arrive mid-February, but printing delays and weather-related road closures postponed the process, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday.

The ballots were to arrive in Cheyenne and then be distributed to the rest of the state.

The delays are not expected to throw the party off schedule, because they gave themselves an additional three weeks to account for potential delays, said Nina Hebert, communications director for the state Democratic Party.

A second mailing is also scheduled to account for those who registered to vote after the first list of mail-outs was compiled, Hebert said. All mail-in ballots must be postmarked by March 20.

Any Democrats who register to vote after March 10 will not be able to receive their ballot in the mail. Anyone who registers before March 20 can still participate in early voting and caucus day April 4.

Democrats in Wyoming are also expected to see a new way to participate in the presidential primary this year with the introduction of ranked-choice voting, where voters will be asked to rank their top five candidates.

"This means people can show up, fill out their ballot, drop it off and leave," Hebert said.