Fremont County is large, diverse, and filled with opinions, or “talk in the 10.” “Talk in the 10” is an opportunity for you, our readers, to articulate and share your thoughts about what is happening in the community with the community. Letters may have been edited for clarity and length, but generally have been published exactly as received. The views expressed in the following are solely those of the author. Send your letters to our editors by emailing opinion@county10.com
We thought we had finally won.
Sixteen years ago, I was a teenager canvassing door-to-door in Wind River, telling tribal members that our voices finally mattered. The Shoshone and Arapaho had just won a lawsuit over Fremont County’s at-large voting system, which let the settler majority drown out Native voices and kept us out of public office. After 2010, we were able to ensure representation in both local and state governments for the first time. After decades of barriers and exclusion, I thought things had finally changed. I was wrong.
Now, the Supreme Court has handed Secretary of State Chuck Gray the weapon he needed, and he’s aiming it straight at us. He calls this a “legal update,” but it’s really an effort to reduce Indigenous political influence in Wyoming.
Nobody handed us these seats. We had to fight for a county commission seat that represented the reservation and for House District 33, the only legislative seat in Wyoming where Native people are the majority. We deserve them because our status as sovereign nations demands real representation.
Let’s be clear here. Gray isn’t just “doing his job”. He’s trying to impress people in Washington by taking away the rights of the very nations that made Wyoming possible.
Don’t let yourself be misled. This is more than lines on a map. It’s about whose opinions matter and whose futures are decided behind closed doors. If we let this happen to one community, we tell politicians it’s open season on anyone who stands in their way.
None of these actions are accidental. Gray’s office shared confidential Wyoming voter data without consent, in violation of state law. Next, he changed registration rules that restrict voting for rural, Native, and working families. Each step deliberately places new barriers in our path.
My mentor, the late Eddie Wadda, told me: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” For generations, Wind River was on the menu, left out of decisions that shaped our lives. But that’s changing. Gray’s attack isn’t because we’re weak. It’s because we’re finally strong enough to make a difference. Chuck Gray wants to use this moment to advance his own political career, but he forgot something important: you cannot remove us from a table built on our own land. We were here before Wyoming was a state, and we are still here. We fought for our seat at the table, and we will not step aside now. Stand firm with us. Contact the Fremont County Commission and Governor Gordon. Tell them we will not go backward; we insist on Native representation, and we demand immediate protection of our rights. This fight is not over, and we refuse to be silent.
Big Wind Carpenter
Lander, Wyoming