Case Title: DAVE M. SMITH V. ROBERT JOHN BRITO, JR.

Citation: 

Docket Number: S-07-0137

State: wyoming

Court: Wyoming Supreme Court

Date: 2007-12-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
DAVE M. SMITH V. ROBERT JOHN BRITO, JR.2007 WY 191173 P.3d 351Case Number: S-07-0137Decided: 12/10/2007
OCTOBER TERM, A.D. 2007

 
 

DAVE 
M. SMITH,Appellant(Defendant),v.ROBERT JOHN BRITO, 
JR.,Appellee(Plaintiff).

 
 
Petition 
for Writ of Review

From theDistrictCourtofSubletteCounty

The 
Honorable Norman E. Young, Judge

 
 

Representing 
Appellant:

Ralph E. 
Wood, Wood Law Office, Pinedale, Wyoming

 
 

Representing 
Appellee:

Clark 
Stith, Rock 
Springs, 
Wyoming

 
 
Before 
VOIGT, C.J., and GOLDEN, HILL, KITE, BURKE, JJ.

 
 

GOLDEN, 
Justice.

 
 
[¶1]      In a 2006 
municipal election, Dave Smith was elected to the Pinedale Town Council.  Robert Brito, Jr., contested Mr. Smith's 
election on two grounds, including that Mr. Smith was not a registered voter at 
the time he filed his petition for candidacy for the position in violation of 
Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 22-23-301 (LexisNexis 2007).1  The district court granted Mr. Brito's 
motion for partial summary judgment on that ground and annulled Mr. Smith's 
election.  The district court also 
awarded costs against Mr. Smith in favor of Mr. Brito.  Mr. Smith appeals both the annulment of 
his election and the award of costs.  
We convert Mr. Smith's notice of appeal to a petition for writ of review, 
which we hereby grant.  Upon review, 
we affirm the order of the district court in all respects.

 

ISSUES

 
 
[¶2]      Mr. Smith 
presents two issues for our review:

 
 
1.  Does the fact that Appellant was not a 
registered voter of the Town of Pinedale at the time he filed his application 
for election make him a person "not eligible to hold the office" when he 
received the highest number of votes cast in the subject election and was a 
registered voter of the Town of Pinedale on the date of the subject election and 
on the date he was sworn in to the position he was elected 
to?

 
 
2.  Did the District Court err in awarding 
costs to the Appellee where the Appellee did not archive [sic] the relief prayed 
for in his Verified Complaint?

 
 
FACTS

 
 
[¶3]      The facts are 
undisputed.  In May 2006, Pinedale 
held municipal elections, which included an election for two open town council 
seats.  Mr. Smith was one of seven 
people who filed a petition for candidacy for a seat on the town council.  Unbeknownst to Mr. Smith, at the time he 
filed his petition he was not a registered voter.  Mr. Smith did not discover he was not a 
registered voter until the day of the election.  He promptly registered and was allowed 
to vote.  Mr. Smith garnered the 
greatest number of votes, was declared winner of one of the two open town 
council positions, and was duly sworn into office.

 
 
[¶4]      Mr. Brito was 
also a candidate for town council but finished fifth in the voting.  After the election, he filed a contest 
pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 22-17-101(a)(ii) (LexisNexis 2007),2 and Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 22-17-103 
(LexisNexis 2007)3 alleging Mr. Smith was not eligible 
to hold office.  The complaint also 
contained a second count challenging the constitutionality of two other election 
related statutes.  Mr. Brito filed a 
motion for partial summary judgment asking for judgment on his claim that Mr. 
Smith is not eligible to hold office.  
The district court granted Mr. Brito's motion for partial summary 
judgment, concluding that since Mr. Smith was not an eligible candidate he was 
not eligible to hold office and, therefore, his election must be 
annulled.

 
 
DISCUSSION

 
 
[¶5]      We begin by 
recognizing that since the order appealed from only granted partial summary 
judgment and was not certified as immediately appealable by the district court, 
it is not an appealable order.  
W.R.C.P. 54(b); W.R.A.P. 1.05.  
This Court, however, has authority to convert a notice of appeal to a 
writ of review, but will only do so under the most extraordinary of 
circumstances:

 
 
            
Our exercise of the power of certiorari emanates from the Constitution of 
the State of Wyoming, Stogner v. State of 
Wyoming, 792 P.2d 1358 (Wyo.1990), and it is invoked when a case from a 
lower court involves an important state question or is of sufficient public 
significance to justify a determination by the Supreme Court.  Wyo. Const. art. 5, § 3; Rule 13.01, W.R.A.P.; 
City of   Sheridan v. Cadle, 24 Wyo. 293, 157 P. 892 (1916).  Review pursuant to certiorari is never 
granted lightly, especially if an adequate alternative remedy is available.  State ex rel. Pearson v. Hansen, 409 P.2d 769 (Wyo.1966); Call [v. Town of Afton, 73 Wyo. 271, 278 P.2d 270 (1954)].  On the other hand, it should be granted 
without hesitation when the timely resolution of matters coming to our attention 
is of extreme and lasting importance to the citizens of this state and may 
contribute to judicial efficiency.  
Rule 13.01, W.R.A.P.  See Johnson [v. Statewide Collection, Inc., 778 P.2d 93 (Wyo. 1989)]; Sheridan.  Cf. Call (writ denied, but not a matter of 
state concern).          

 
 

In re 
General Adjudication of All Rights to Use Water in Big  
Horn 
River 
System, 803 P.2d 61, 67 (Wyo. 1990).  We believe the issues raised present 
questions of significant state importance, most especially to the people of 
Pinedale, and therefore do not hesitate to convert this particular notice of 
appeal into a writ of review.

 
 
Annulment 
of Mr. Smith's election

 
 
[¶6]      The specific 
question is whether Mr. Smith is legally eligible to hold municipal office.  We agree with the district court he is 
not.  Wyoming Statute § 22-23-301 
explicitly requires a person be a registered voter "on the day the petition is 
filed."  This requirement is even 
more strenuously emphasized in the statutorily recommended petition form, which 
requires an applicant "swear or affirm" he/she is a registered voter "as of the 
closing of the municipal clerk's office on the day [the] petition is 
filed."  Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 
22-23-302 (LexisNexis 2007).4  Mr. Smith did not meet this requirement 
and therefore was not eligible to petition for candidacy for municipal office at 
the time he did.  Because his name 
was not properly on the ballot, the votes he received, and thus his election, 
must be considered null and void.  

 
 
[¶7]      Mr. Smith argues 
that he should not be penalized for what was in essence an honest mistake.  Mr. Smith relies on Rue v. Carter, 919 P.2d 633 (Wyo. 1996), 
in support of his argument that his failure to be a registered voter at the time 
he filed his petition for candidacy was a mere irregularity that should not 
nullify the will of the people who voted for him to represent them on the town 
council.  In Rue, the challenged elected official, 
Margaret Carter, registered to vote after the filing deadline for candidacy but 
within a week of filing her petition and six months prior to the election.  Part of the reasoning in Rue was that Carter "met all the 
statutory criteria during the primary election, the general election, and at the 
time she assumed the municipal office."  
Id. at 635. 
Under those particular circumstances, the Court in Rue held not being registered at the 
time of submitting a petition for candidacy was an inconsequential irregularity 
and upheld her election.  Id.

 
 
[¶8]      Mr. Smith's 
reliance on Rue is regrettable in 
that the Wyoming Legislature effectively has overruled Rue.  We discussed the issue indirectly in Hayes v. City of Sheridan, 2005 WY 10, 
105 P.3d 459 (Wyo. 2005).  Although 
the issue in Hayes was whether § 
22-23-301 was a "resign to run" statute, it provides assistance in the instant 
appeal in its discussion of the legislative history of § 
301:

 
 
In 1996, 
§ 301 simply read:  "All candidates 
for municipal office shall be nominated at the municipal primary election."  Wyo. Stat.  Ann. § 22-23-301 (Michie 1992).  Section 302 read, in pertinent 
part:

 
 
I, 
.........., the undersigned, certify that I was born on .........., 19.., and 
that I have been a resident of the State of Wyoming since .........., and that I am a 
registered voter of Election District No. .........., Precinct No. .........., 
in Ward No. .........., in the City of .........., and the State of Wyoming, do hereby 
petition and request that my name be printed upon the Official Municipal Primary 
Ballot at the next primary election as a candidate for the office of .......... 
I hereby declare that if nominated and elected I will qualify for the 
office.  

 
 

Wyo. Stat. 
Ann. § 22-23-302 (Michie Cum. Supp. 1996).  
Based upon this language, this Court decided Rue v. Carter, 919 P.2d 633 
(Wyo.1996).  Rue involved an election contest based 
upon the fact that the successful candidate for municipal office, Margaret 
Carter, had stated on her petition for candidacy that she was a registered 
voter.  Carter later discovered that 
she was not a registered voter, her name having been purged from the voter list 
because she failed to vote in the 1992 general election.  Carter reregistered and her name was 
placed on the ballot.  This Court 
upheld her election to municipal office, holding that Carter's misrepresentation 
regarding her voter registration status at the time her petition for candidacy 
was filed was an inconsequential irregularity, which had been cured, and did not 
constitute the basis for annulment of the election.  Id. 
at 635.   Essentially, this 
Court held that the purpose of the statute was not 
violated.

 
 
The 
Wyoming 
legislature amended both §§ 301 and 302 in 1997.  1997 Wyo. Sess. Laws ch. 173, § 1.  Given the Rue decision in 1996, it is rational to 
infer that the legislature was aware of the distinction between qualifications 
that it required candidates to meet at the date of filing the petition and 
qualifications that simply must be met prior to taking office.  The legislature also understood that § 
301 and § 302 were interrelated and were read together.

 
 
The 
legislative amendments in 1997 included adding the second sentence of § 301.[5]  At the same time, the legislature 
amended the oath in § 302 to add the phrase "as of the closing of the city or 
town clerk's office on the day this petition is filed."   This phrase was added to the first 
part of the oath.  

 
 

Id. at ¶¶ 
6-8, 105 P.3d  at 460-61.  

 
 
[¶9]      While this 
discussion was dicta in the context of Hayes, the analysis remains sound.  Because the legislature is presumed to 
know the state of the law, the 1997 amendments can be seen as a direct response 
to this Court's decision in Rue.  The amendments reflect a legislative 
decision that not being a registered voter on the day the petition for candidacy 
is filed is not an inconsequential irregularity that can be judicially 
ignored.  The will of the majority 
of people who voted for Mr. Smith in the municipal election in Pinedale, while 
of great importance to us, cannot override the will of the popularly elected 
Wyoming State Legislators.  We must 
abide by the legislative determination that Mr. Smith's election must be 
declared void.

 
 
Costs

 
 
[¶10]   We review an award of costs for an 
abuse of discretion by the district court.  
Shepard v. Beck, 2007 WY 53, ¶ 
14, 154 P.3d 982, 988 (Wyo. 2007).  
Mr. Brito was awarded costs pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 22-17-104 
(LexisNexis 2007):

 
 
Judgment 
for costs.

 
 
            
If the proceedings in an election contest are dismissed for 
insufficiency, or want of prosecution, or if the election is confirmed by the 
court, judgment shall be rendered for costs against the party contesting the 
election and in favor of the party whose election was contested.  If the election is annulled and set 
aside for grounds stated in W.S. 22-17-101(a)(ii), (iii) or (v), judgment for 
costs shall be rendered against the party whose election was contested and in 
favor of the party contesting the election.  If the election is annulled and set 
aside for the grounds stated in W.S. 22-17-101(a)(i) or (iv), judgment and costs 
shall be rendered against the county.

 
 
Mr. 
Smith argues that costs should not have been awarded because the entire election 
was not annulled, as he believes § 22-17-104 requires.  Mr. Smith is incorrect in his 
argument.  There is no requirement 
that an entire election be annulled.  
The annulment of the election of a single elected municipal official can 
also form the basis for the award of costs.

 
 
[¶11]   This conclusion is supported by 
Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 22-17-108 (LexisNexis 2007), which provides the appropriate 
judgment for different situations:

 
 
Court 
judgment in contests.

 
 
            
A judgment of the court in an election contest shall confirm or annul the 
election or declare elected a qualified candidate receiving the highest number 
of legal votes, or declare the result of the election on each contested ballot 
proposition.  The election of a 
candidate receiving the highest number of legal votes but disqualified for any 
other legal reason shall be declared null and void and a vacancy will be 
declared to exist.  For offices to 
be filled by more than one (1) candidate, the election shall not be declared 
null and void but the qualified candidates receiving the highest number of legal 
votes shall be declared elected.

 
 
[¶12]   Since two town council positions 
were open in the instant election, the correct remedy was to not void the entire 
election but rather to declare elected the qualified candidate receiving the 
highest number of legal votes.  This 
is exactly the procedure followed by the district court.  Reading sections 104 and 108 together, 
Mr. Brito successfully challenged the election of Mr. Smith, resulting in a 
judgment for the statutorily created remedy of the annulment of Mr. Smith's 
election.  Section 104 mandates an 
award of costs from Mr. Smith to Mr. Brito under these circumstances. 

 
 
Appellate 
Sanctions

 
 
[¶13]   Mr. Brito requests we grant 
attorney's fees and damages pursuant to W.R.A.P. 10.05,  which allows us to award attorney's fees 
and damages if "there was no reasonable cause for the appeal."  We award such sanctions only in rare 
circumstances, such as when an appeal lacks cogent argument or there is an 
absence of pertinent legal authority to support the issues.  Osborn v. Kilts, 2006 WY 142, ¶ 16, 145 P.3d 1264, 1268 (Wyo. 2006); Welch v. 
Welch, 2003 WY 168, ¶ 13, 81 P.3d 937, 940 (Wyo. 2003).  

 
 
[¶14]   We do not believe this appeal 
warrants sanctions.  Although Mr. 
Smith ultimately failed to win the appeal, we consider his legal arguments to 
have been presented cogently and in good faith.  Given the importance of the issues, we 
feel there was adequate legal support to warrant Mr. Smith bringing this 
appeal.  

 
 
CONCLUSION

 
 
[¶15]   Because he was not a registered 
voter at the time he filed his petition for candidacy for municipal office, Mr. 
Smith is not eligible to hold the municipal office to which he was elected.  For the sake of all electors throughout 
the state, we hope in the future that other candidates will be more attentive to 
the requirements of petitioning for candidacy to a political office.  

 
 
[¶16]   The district court correctly 
awarded costs to Mr. Brito pursuant to § 22-17-104.  We decline, however, to award sanctions 
pursuant to W.R.A.P. 10.05.  The 
judgment of the district court is affirmed in all 
respects.

 
 
FOOTNOTES

 
 

1§ 22-23-301. 
Municipal officers.

 
 
            
All candidates for municipal office shall be nominated at the municipal 
primary election.  In 
order to be eligible, a candidate must be a registered voter and a resident of 
the municipality and ward which he seeks to represent on the day the petition is 
filed, and shall not be an employee of the municipality.  As used in this section, the term 
"employee" includes only those persons receiving an hourly wage or salary from a 
municipality.  A person who provides 
volunteer services to a municipality shall not be considered an "employee" under 
this section based solely upon coverage under the Wyoming Worker's Compensation 
Act or other pension, death or disability program.  (Emphasis 
added.)

 
 

2§ 22-17-101. 
Right to contest elections; exception; grounds.

 
 
            
(a) A qualified elector may contest the right of a person declared 
elected to an office in the elector's county, municipality, district or 
precinct, other than the office of state legislator, United 
States 
president and vice-president and presidential elector, on the following 
grounds:

* * * 
*

(ii) The 
person whose election is contested is not eligible to hold the 
office[.]

 
 

3§ 22-17-103. 
Summons; conduct of suit.

 
 
            
Summons shall be issued against the person whose election is being 
contested and upon the election official responsible for conducting the 
election.  The suit shall be 
conducted as a civil action and shall be considered for an expedited 
docket.

 

4§ 22-23-302. 
Filing fee; petition form.

 
 
            
Not more than ninety-six (96) days and not later than eighty-one (81) 
days preceding the municipal primary election, each candidate for a municipal 
office shall pay a nonrefundable filing fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) and 
sign and file with the municipal clerk a petition in substantially the following 
form:

 
 
State of Wyoming        
)

)  ss

County of 
..........         
)

 
 
            
I, .........., the undersigned, swear or affirm that I was born on 
.........., .......... (year), and that I have been a resident of the State of 
Wyoming since 
.........., residing at .........., and that I am a registered voter of Election 
District No. .........., Precinct No. .........., in Ward No. .........., in the 
City of .........., and the State of Wyoming as of the closing of the municipal 
clerk's office on the day this petition is filed, do hereby petition and request 
that my name be printed upon the Official Municipal Primary Ballot at the next 
primary election as a candidate for the office of ..........  I hereby declare that if nominated and 
elected I will qualify for the office.

Dated: 
...............                      
..................... (Signature of Candidate)

..................... 
(Residence Address)

  

5The added sentence reads: 
"In order to be eligible, a candidate must be a registered voter and a resident 
of the municipality and ward which he seeks to represent on the day the petition 
is filed, and shall not be an employee of the municipality.  1997    
Wyo. Sess. Laws 
371.