At a Thursday night meeting of the Park County Republican Party, a round of applause greeted the news that Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon would not stand in the way of a bill that restricts voters’ abilities to switch political parties ahead of the primary election.

Just over a week ago, it appeared the Wyoming Republican Party’s long-running effort to prevent Democrats and unaffiliated voters from participating in the party’s primary election would have to wait another year. But after an unusual resuscitation in the state Senate, a bill that would severely restrict so-called crossover voting may now be heading toward passage.

For years, state Rep. Cyrus Western has heard the calls to crack down on so-called crossover voting in which voters change their political affiliation so they can participate in another party’s primary election.