Parties work hard to get out Wyoming vote

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CHEYENNE - At this point, it's not about changing minds.

The state Republican and Democratic parties have shifted their efforts to reminding supporters - and voters registered with their parties who remain undecided - to vote today.

"That's the way I approach it. You bet," said Bill Cubin, chairman of the Natrona County Republican Party. "Because if people, at this point in time, aren't all that engaged - they haven't made up their mind - then generally they go with their party registration."

Cubin doubted that many people are still undecided.

"Still, when you have close races - as you know - 1,000 votes statewide is huge," he said.

Two years ago, Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin beat Jackson Hole businessman Gary Trauner by just more than 1,000 votes, or half a percentage point. Bill Cubin is one of Barbara Cubin's sons.

This year, Barbara Cubin isn't running for re-election, while Trauner has found himself in another close race for the House seat - this time against Cynthia Lummis, a Republican former state treasurer and legislator.

Sen. Mike Enzi is seeking a third term, running against Chris Rothfuss, a university of Wyoming instructor. Republican Sen. John Barrasso, a physician appointed following Sen. Craig Thomas' death of leukemia last year, is running against Gillette attorney Nick Carter to finish the four years left in Thomas' term.

Volunteers for both parties have been calling all over the state to get out the vote.

"My understanding is there were over 10,000 phone calls made this weekend and over 100,000 phone calls in the last three months made to Democratic voters - just talking about the campaign and reminding them to vote," said John Millin, chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party.

Republicans in Natrona County are going even further. Bill Cubin said volunteers are going door to door in mostly Republican precincts with information about the Republican candidates.

He said volunteers even plan to monitor Natrona County polling places with lists of Republican-registered voters. Republicans who haven't showed up by a certain time, he said, can expect friendly phone calls reminding them it's Election Day.

Mike Bell, chairman of the Laramie County Democratic Party, said a lot of people have been stopping by the Democratic Party office in Cheyenne.

"Every 20 minutes to a half hour, somebody walks in. They want an Obama sign or a button, or `How do we register to vote?"' he said.

State Democrats over the weekend accused state Republicans of using automated calls to try to drum up interest in a Republican rally in Laramie with Vice President Dick Cheney. Wyoming law prohibits using automated calls for political purposes.

Democrats obtained recordings of the calls, which contained a message saying they were paid for by the Wyoming Republican Party. Amy Larimer, executive director of the Wyoming Republican Party, said her party didn't make calls with recorded messages.

"All of our calls are live," Larimer said. "We have verified that they are live and we're not breaking any laws with the Wyoming Republican party calls."

About 300 people attended Saturday's rally with Cheney, Lummis, Barrasso and Enzi.

"Cheney really pumped up our state and helped out the Republican ticket," Larimer said.

Bell agreed that Cheney probably helped mobilize Republican voters in the state. But he said Barack Obama has done the same thing for Democrats, especially in southeast Wyoming.

"For the Democrats, having Obama here back in March, being so close in Denver, in August, and then back here in Fort Collins (Colo.) last week, it just gets people excited. We feel like we count for something this time," Bell said.

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