The resolution, which is set to be heard at the next central committee meeting, is also being drawn up because county clerks throughout Wyoming have been receiving vitriol — often from other Republican Party members. The resolution is symbolic, but would send a message amid a time of unfounded allegations regarding voter fraud and election integrity.

“The overall discussion was about saying thank you to our elected officials for doing their hard work when they’re being attacked because of people’s personal agendas,” said Dr. Joe McGinley, state committeeman for the Natrona County Republicans.

The county party’s executive committee was also motivated to draft the resolution in an attempt to dispel myths Natrona County residents may believe about fraud in 2020 presidential election. Despite dozens of court cases, no widespread voter fraud has been found.

The executive committee wants to send the message that Wyoming’s elections are “secure and accurate,” said Ryan McConnaughey, publicity chair for the committee. County clerks throughout the state have been saying for months that Wyoming’s elections are some of “the most” secure.

The other major catalyst behind bringing the resolution is the fact that Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee admittedly made some errors in the precinct committee member elections. Lee faced backlash from Republican leaders following news of her miscalculations.

“We’re not perfect and mistakes happen,” McGinley said. “We saw the issue in Laramie County, which is what brought this about initially.”

Passing the resolution has the potential to drive the wedge between the Natrona County Republican Party and the state Republican Party even deeper than it already is.

“I don’t expect much from the state party. A majority of the individuals seem to be participating in these attacks, so I don’t expect them to support it,” McGinley said.

In 2019, several top county-level Republicans were allegedly the subject of a secretive investigation conducted by members of their party’s state executive committee, McGinley previously told the Star-Tribune.

Most recently, two members of the Natrona County Republican Party were censured by the state party.

In September of last year, the state party censured JoAnn True, now vice chairman of the Natrona County Republican Party, who at the time was the the state committeewoman for the county party. The party censured True for helping to found a nonpartisan political action committee aimed at increasing women’s representation in political office that gave money to more than a dozen Democratic Candidates.

McGinley was also censured around the same time, but that decision was made behind closed doors and with a nondisclosure agreement, so exactly why he was punished remains unclear. The letter notifying the Natrona County Republican Party of his censure stated that the decision was made because McGinley had marred the reputation of the Wyoming Republican Party in previous statements, disclosing confidential work the state party conducted — which included speaking about the committee that was investigating him — and violating party bylaws.

The state Republican Party also attempted to bar the Natrona County GOP from participating in last year’s convention, claiming that the county party violated bylaws at their county convention weeks earlier. The effort ultimately failed after some of the biggest names in Wyoming politics — Rep. Liz Cheney, Sen. John Barrasso and the late Sen. Mike Enzi — spoke out.

Frank Eathorne, chairman of the state Republican Party, did not return a request for comment.

The central committee will meet at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16 in Casper. They will vote on the county clerk resolution then.

“At least in Natrona County, I would hope that our group would pass it,” McGinley said.