Wyoming’s 2026 general election enters its first voting phase on Friday, September 18, when county clerks begin issuing ballots to eligible military and overseas voters. The date appears on the Secretary of State’s official 2026 election deadlines, which sets the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act period from September 18 through November 2.

The early start applies specifically to voters covered by UOCAVA, including members of the armed forces away from their Wyoming residence and qualifying citizens living abroad. The Secretary of State’s detailed election calendar directs county clerks to have those ballots printed and in their possession by September 18 and to begin transmitting them that day. Ballots for other absentee voters cannot be distributed until October 6, when Wyoming’s regular 28-day absentee-voting window opens.

Wyoming does not require an excuse to vote absentee. Any registered voter may request a ballot from the county clerk by phone, mail, email, in person or through the state’s request form, according to the state absentee-voting guide. The guide says military and overseas ballots may be sent as early as 45 days before an election, compared with 28 days for other absentee voters. Voters should use their own county clerk’s contact information and confirm that the clerk has a current delivery address.

Every completed absentee ballot must reach the county clerk by 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. A postmark alone does not make a late ballot valid. The Secretary of State cautions that mailed ballots can take as long as seven days to arrive, so voters returning a ballot close to Election Day should consider the remaining delivery time or ask the clerk about an in-person return option. Once a clerk receives a completed absentee ballot, the voter cannot replace it simply to change a vote.

The next major statewide deadline is October 19, when advance voter registration closes. The key-dates schedule says people who miss that cutoff may still register and vote absentee in person at the county clerk’s office from October 20 through November 2, or register at their polling place on Election Day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on November 3.

Voters preparing now can use the Secretary of State’s Election Center to locate county-clerk information, review the certified candidate roster, read ballot-proposition materials and check voter-identification rules. Military and overseas voters should also verify which transmission and return methods their clerk supports; requesting a ballot starts the process, but the 7 p.m. receipt deadline still governs the returned ballot.

The practical distinction is timing: September 18 is not the start of general early voting for every Wyoming voter. It is the federally required opening for military and overseas voting. The broader absentee period begins October 6, followed by the registration deadline on October 19 and Election Day on November 3. Keeping those dates separate can prevent a premature trip to a clerk’s office or, more importantly, a ballot that arrives after the legal deadline.