Wyoming Secretary Of State Hearing About Caucuses

Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray says he's been getting mixed comments on the state's caucus system for selecting presidential delegates.

Murray, who is Wyoming's top election official, has been traveling around the state quite a bit the past month or so.

He says he's been hearing from both supporters of the caucus system as well as opponents in about equal numbers.

Opponents include supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who are angry about Texas Senator Ted Cruz's victory in the Wyoming Republican Caucus held earlier this month in Casper. Trump has called the caucus system ''rigged" and his supporters feel the system is undemocratic and generally unfair.

On the Democratic side, supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are similarly outraged because his rival, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, split the state's elected delegates with Sanders even though he received about 12 percent more votes from those attending the state caucuses.

But Murray says he has also heard from those who understand the state's caucus rules haven't changed in decades ''and they require real grass-roots participation."

Murray notes a legislative interim committee over the next few months will look into going to a state primary election to select presidential delegates in coming years.

He has said he feels there are "pluses and minuses" to a possible change, adding one issue that would need to be addressed is the cost of such a primary election. He's also said he thinks the state's 23 county clerks should have input on whether or not a change is needed.