TLDR:
- Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee has allowed an AI candidate named VIC to run for mayor of Cheyenne, but it won’t be on the ballot.
- VIC will be listed as Victor Miller, the human behind the campaign.
An artificial intelligent political candidate running for mayor of Cheyenne can continue its campaign, but can’t be on the ballot. Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee announced Friday that the county will allow the artificial intelligence-powered candidate known as VIC (Virtual Integrated Citizen) to continue its campaign, but will have to appear on the official ballot under the name of the human man behind the AI campaign, Victor Miller. Lee explained to Cowboy State Daily that Miller will officially be considered the candidate running for mayor. Election ballots will read “Victor Miller,” not VIC, as Miller had originally requested in his candidate application form. “He needs to think about voters and what they see to mark on the ballot,” Lee said.
Brad Lund, an attorney with the Laramie County Attorney’s Office, explained that the identity of the individual the county considers to be the true candidate was the main concern in deciding whether or not to allow an AI candidate. In short, they view Miller as the true candidate people would vote for. It’s Miller’s campaign promise, which he doubled down with Friday, that it will be VIC the AI bot making decisions for the city of Cheyenne if elected, not he.
State Rep. Daniel Singh, R-Cheyenne, is a member of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology, where the topic of VIC came up briefly during its most recent meeting. Singh said Laramie County made the logical decision and isn’t concerned about future AI campaigns in the Cowboy State as Wyoming law states that a candidate must be a registered voter and qualified elector.