Wyoming Elections Belong to Wyoming Voters

I was deeply troubled by the conduct of two U.S. Department of Justice attorneys who appeared at Laramie County polling places during Wyoming’s August 18 primary election.

According to Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee, the federal monitors asked about poll-worker training, requested training materials, questioned how Wyoming’s new election equipment was acquired, and sought to examine voting tabulators. Lee also said the monitors planned to interview voters inside polling places, a request she denied.

Governor Mark Gordon described the monitors’ conduct as “a bit aggressive” and “irregular.” He has asked Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz to investigate the nature and scope of the federal visits. Lee called the operation poorly managed and said it showed disregard for Wyoming’s election laws and administration.

The Justice Department has said its purpose was to promote transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal voting-rights laws. Those explanations deserve consideration, but federal officials must still respect Wyoming law, Wyoming election workers, and the privacy of Wyoming voters.

The lack of effective notice is especially concerning. During the state canvassing meeting, the Wyoming Secretary of State’s elections director said the office had received an email from the federal government. Lee, however, said she was caught off guard and learned that an email intended for her might have been sent to the wrong address.

This incident follows another decision involving Wyoming voters and the federal government.

In August 2025, Secretary of State Chuck Gray provided the Justice Department with Wyoming’s statewide voter-registration list, including driver’s-license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. WyoFile reported that Wyoming was the first state to comply fully with the federal request, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Gray maintains that the disclosure was lawful, that he consulted the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, and that federal privacy protections continue to apply. Wyoming voters still deserve a complete public accounting:

1. Why was information beyond the publicly available voter list provided?
2. What written restrictions govern the federal government’s use, retention, and sharing of that information?
3. When did the Secretary of State’s office learn that federal monitors would be present?
4. Which state and county officials were notified?
5. Does Gray believe the monitors remained within the authority provided by federal and Wyoming law?

We should not claim without evidence that the voter-data transfer caused the federal monitoring operation. We should insist, however, that every decision involving our voter information and our polling places be transparent and accountable.

I served Wyoming for ten years in the State Senate. That experience taught me that effective representation requires more than announcements and slogans. It requires careful judgment, respect for local officials, protection of personal information, and the willingness to answer difficult questions.

Wyoming’s hardworking county clerks have earned our confidence. Federal involvement in our elections must be lawful, limited, properly communicated, and fully accountable to the people whose information and votes are involved.

Wyoming voters deserve the complete facts.