Marshall A. Burt (born May 6, 1976) is an American politician who served in the

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming Legislature, Wyoming State Legislature. There are 62 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the Wyoming, st ...

. A member of the Republican Party, Burt previously was a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

while he represented the 39th district from 2021 to 2023. Burt was the first

third-party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a veh ...

candidate elected to the

Wyoming Legislature The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 62-member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 31-member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at ...

in over 100 years.

Early life and career

Marshall A. Burt was born in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

. He is a

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

veteran, having served nine years in

Okinawa, Japan is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west ...

, and in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

. He is employed by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

as a track inspector.

Wyoming House of Representatives

Elections

2020

In the

2020 Wyoming House of Representatives election Members of the Wyoming House of Representatives were elected on November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 Wyoming elections. Primary elections were held on August 18, 2020. This election featured the first Libertarian state legislator elected ...

, Burt was one of six Wyoming Libertarian candidates running in competitive districts. Burt ran in the 39th district. In a two-way race, Burt defeated his Democratic opponent, longtime incumbent

Stan Blake Stan Blake (born November 8, 1954) is an American railroad conductor and politician, and a former Wyoming state legislator. A member of the Democratic Party, Blake represented the 39th district in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2 ...

, receiving 53.6% of the vote to Blake's 44.9%. Burt was the first Libertarian candidate to be elected to a state legislature since Steve Vaillancourt in 2000, and the first

candidate elected in Wyoming in over a century.

2022

Burt ran for re-election in the

2022 Wyoming House of Representatives election All 62 members of the Wyoming House of Representatives were elected on November 8, 2022, as part of the 2022 Wyoming elections The 2022 Wyoming elections took place on November 8, 2022. The statewide direct primary election was held on Au ...

against Republican Cody Wylie. Burt was defeated by Wylie, receiving 25% of the vote to Wylie's 75%.

Tenure

In March 2021, Burt alongside a

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...

group of house members, co–sponsored legislation that legalizes the sale, purchase, possession, and cultivation of cannabis, for any Wyoming citizen over the age of twenty–one. The bill missed its deadline to be considered by the house after a committee voted to approve it, and subsequently died on the house floor. A bill identical to the March 2021 bill that would legalize cannabis was reintroduced in February 2022. Burt, once again, alongside a bipartisan group of house members, co–sponsored this legislation. During that same month, Burt introduced legislation to help persons with disabilities extend their access to motorcycles. The bill was passed unanimously through both the Wyoming House and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and was signed into law by Governor

Mark Gordon Mark Gordon (born March 14, 1957) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Wyoming since January 7, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as state treasurer; then-governor Matt Mead appointed him to th ...

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

Eric Barlow also recognized the Libertarian Party as a minority party in the House, and Burt became the chairman of the Libertarian caucus.

Committee assignments

* Wyoming House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs ** Joint Subcommittee on Interstate Compact on Students of Military Families *Wyoming House Committee on Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions

Political positions

Gun policy

Burt is a gun-rights supporter and opposes expanding

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

regulations. He opposes all gun registration and instant background checks, and calls for "no permit or residency required for either open or concealed carry n the state of Wyoming.

Healthcare

Burt opposes federal and state

vaccine mandates A vaccination policy is a health policy adopted in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease. These policies are generally put into place by state or local governments, but may also be set by private facilities, such as workplaces or sc ...

, calling them "

unconstitutional In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...

Personal life

Burt lives in

Green River, Wyoming Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,825 at the 2020 census. It is the 7th most populous city in Wyoming. History The townsi ...

, with his wife, Theresa Burt and his two children. He is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

.House District 39: Representative Marshall Burt
State of Wyoming 66th Legislature. Wyoleg.gov

Electoral history

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Marshall 1976 births 21st-century members of the Wyoming Legislature Libertarian Party (United States) officeholders Living people Members of the Wyoming House of Representatives Military personnel from Minnesota People from Green River, Wyoming People from Pine Island, Minnesota Wyoming Libertarians