Rasmussen v. Baker

Summary

The court held that Wyoming's constitutional requirement that a voter be able to read "the constitution of this State" requires the ability to read the original English-language instrument, not merely a Finnish translation. Because the challenged voters could not read the constitution in English, had no physical disability, and were not protected by the grandfather provision, their 104 votes for the defendant were illegal. The court declined to answer the remaining reserved questions because they were unnecessary to the decision. Justice Coen, concurring, agreed with the result and reasoning, emphasizing that the convention's purpose also supported excluding the class of foreign-born voters involved.