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Wyoming AI Candidate VIC Denied Senate Ballot; Legal Battle Continues
When a chatbot named Virtual Integrated Citizen (VIC) tried to appear on the 2026 U.S. Senate ballot, Wyoming’s election officials pulled the plug. Victor Miller, a resident of Cheyenne, filed a lawsuit after Secretary of State Chuck Gray rejected VIC on the grounds that state law requires a candidate to be a human and to use a name that complies with ballot‑name rules.
The court’s decision was swift. A judge in the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming denied Miller’s motion for a temporary restraining order, effectively upholding Gray’s rejection. Miller’s case now moves forward without the AI candidate on the ballot.
Miller first entered the political arena in 2024 by filing paperwork to run for mayor of Cheyenne under the name VIC. The campaign was a novelty: VIC was a custom chatbot built on OpenAI’s GPT‑4 platform. Though the mayoral race ended in defeat for Miller, the experiment sparked his interest in using artificial intelligence to shape public policy.
After the mayoral bid, Miller stepped back from electoral politics to focus on the Rational Governing Alliance (RGA), an organization that champions AI in democratic governance. The current lawsuit also involves his nephew, Landon Miller, who filed to run for a Ward 1 City Council seat in Cheyenne. Landon shares Victor’s goal of integrating AI into local government and relies on the same “meat avatar” system—a human representative who acts on behalf of the AI.
Gray’s press release was clear: "Both state and federal law are clear: to be a candidate for office, you must be a human being, not an AI bot." He added that the electoral system would not be "taken advantage of by AI." The court’s denial of the temporary restraining order was a direct response to this stance.
Miller has responded to the ban in an interview with Wyoming Public Radio (WPR). He said the rejection "mocks Wyoming’s electoral system" and that he remains undeterred. He warned that the court would ultimately see "things as they are" and make the correct decision. Miller reiterated that AI is again on the ballot for the Ward 1 City Council race and, according to him, that a favorable judgment for the U.S. Senate will follow.
OpenAI, the company that originally developed VIC, shut down the chatbot in 2024. Since then, Miller has worked on a custom AI designed specifically for governance purposes. In a 2025 interview with WPR, he discussed the possibility of AI replacing politicians and the role of human "meat avatars" in office.
The legal dispute centers on Wyoming’s election statutes, which require a candidate’s name to be a human name and to meet specific formatting requirements. The district court’s decision to deny the temporary restraining order keeps VIC off the Senate ballot, but the case remains pending. Miller’s complaint has been amended following the denial, and the parties have not yet reached a settlement.
The broader context includes a growing national conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in public office. While no other state has yet adopted a similar approach, the Wyoming case has attracted attention from legal scholars, election officials, and technology commentators.
Reporting on this case was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, which supports state government coverage. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
At this time, the outcome of the court case remains uncertain. The next steps will involve further filings by Miller’s legal team and potential appeals. Meanwhile, the RGA continues to advocate for AI integration in governance, and Landon Miller’s candidacy for the city council seat proceeds under the same "meat avatar" framework.
The case underscores the tension between emerging AI technologies and existing electoral regulations. It also highlights the need for clear legal guidance on how artificial intelligence can participate in democratic processes without violating statutory requirements that mandate human candidacy.
The court’s decision was swift. A judge in the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming denied Miller’s motion for a temporary restraining order, effectively upholding Gray’s rejection. Miller’s case now moves forward without the AI candidate on the ballot.
Miller first entered the political arena in 2024 by filing paperwork to run for mayor of Cheyenne under the name VIC. The campaign was a novelty: VIC was a custom chatbot built on OpenAI’s GPT‑4 platform. Though the mayoral race ended in defeat for Miller, the experiment sparked his interest in using artificial intelligence to shape public policy.
After the mayoral bid, Miller stepped back from electoral politics to focus on the Rational Governing Alliance (RGA), an organization that champions AI in democratic governance. The current lawsuit also involves his nephew, Landon Miller, who filed to run for a Ward 1 City Council seat in Cheyenne. Landon shares Victor’s goal of integrating AI into local government and relies on the same “meat avatar” system—a human representative who acts on behalf of the AI.
Gray’s press release was clear: "Both state and federal law are clear: to be a candidate for office, you must be a human being, not an AI bot." He added that the electoral system would not be "taken advantage of by AI." The court’s denial of the temporary restraining order was a direct response to this stance.
Miller has responded to the ban in an interview with Wyoming Public Radio (WPR). He said the rejection "mocks Wyoming’s electoral system" and that he remains undeterred. He warned that the court would ultimately see "things as they are" and make the correct decision. Miller reiterated that AI is again on the ballot for the Ward 1 City Council race and, according to him, that a favorable judgment for the U.S. Senate will follow.
OpenAI, the company that originally developed VIC, shut down the chatbot in 2024. Since then, Miller has worked on a custom AI designed specifically for governance purposes. In a 2025 interview with WPR, he discussed the possibility of AI replacing politicians and the role of human "meat avatars" in office.
The legal dispute centers on Wyoming’s election statutes, which require a candidate’s name to be a human name and to meet specific formatting requirements. The district court’s decision to deny the temporary restraining order keeps VIC off the Senate ballot, but the case remains pending. Miller’s complaint has been amended following the denial, and the parties have not yet reached a settlement.
The broader context includes a growing national conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in public office. While no other state has yet adopted a similar approach, the Wyoming case has attracted attention from legal scholars, election officials, and technology commentators.
Reporting on this case was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, which supports state government coverage. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
At this time, the outcome of the court case remains uncertain. The next steps will involve further filings by Miller’s legal team and potential appeals. Meanwhile, the RGA continues to advocate for AI integration in governance, and Landon Miller’s candidacy for the city council seat proceeds under the same "meat avatar" framework.
The case underscores the tension between emerging AI technologies and existing electoral regulations. It also highlights the need for clear legal guidance on how artificial intelligence can participate in democratic processes without violating statutory requirements that mandate human candidacy.
