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Vice President Dick Cheney waves to a reporter after casting an absentee ballot in the Republican primary election Thursday at the Teton County Clerk’s Office. He did not say who he favored.

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Vice President Dick Cheney voted in the primary election Thursday when he and his wife, Lynne, cast absentee ballots at the Teton County Clerk’s Office just before noon.

Bystanders and election staff did not know Cheney would visit, as Cheney gave no notice he was coming in until his Secret Service contingent walked through the door.

“It was a surprise visit,” said election volunteer Mike Faraday.

Cheney traditionally votes at the firehouse on Moose-Wilson Road near his Teton Pines home. While waiting for clerks to access his confidential registration, he told Bob Grady, who was also there to vote, that he realized he may not be in the valley for election day on Tuesday and should cast an absentee ballot early.

Faraday asked the vice president for his driver’s license.

“The reason is we are supposed to confirm identity with a photo ID and it also helps confirm residency and that was the easiest way to do it,” he said. “I know he is the vice president and I know he can vote, but I wanted to make sure he can vote here and now.”

“I thought it was great that they asked him for his driver’s license,” said fellow voter Jon Ledecky, laughing.

Cheney stopped outside the clerk’s office long enough to confirm that he voted as a Republican before being whisked away by his security motorcade.

“I was sitting here and saw the Secret Service come in,” Grady said. “Isn’t that a great thing about the United States of America that you can be filling in your ballot and the vice president comes in and votes next to you?”

Grady’s 4-year-old son, Matthew, shook hands with the vice president and his wife. Matthew, who accompanied Grady to practice voting, proudly showed a sheet of paper filled with darkened ovals and a sticker proclaiming he had voted.