Wyoming Officials Raise Concerns Over Federal Election Observers' Conduct Wyoming’s state canvassing board convened in Cheyenne on Wednesday to formally certify the results of the state’s primary elections. During the meeting, Governor Mark Gordon expressed significant concerns about the conduct of federal election observers who had monitored last week’s primary voting in Laramie County. Gordon described their actions as “aggressive” and “irregular,” prompting similar worries from Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee. The dispute centers on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) deployment of observers and the lack of prior communication with state and local officials. The DOJ’s involvement in Wyoming’s elections began with a monitoring initiative announced on August 18, the day of the primary. A press release from the department stated the initiative aimed to “promote transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors.” However, local officials claimed they were not informed of the federal presence until after the polls closed. Governor Gordon pointed to the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, the Attorney General’s office, and Laramie County Clerk’s Office as being unaware of the observers’ arrival. He emphasized that the federal agents’ behavior appeared to exceed their authority, though he stopped short of accusing them of wrongdoing. Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who has worked closely with the DOJ on voter data collection efforts, disputed Gordon’s claims. Gray cited a statement from U.S. Attorney Darin Smith, who assured that federal monitors were collaborating with local officials to “ensure every lawful vote is protected.#department_of_justice #mark_gordon #debra_lee #wyoming_state_canvassing_board #laramie_county_clerk
Wyoming’s Republican Governor Raises Concerns Over DOJ Election Monitor Conduct Wyoming Republican Governor Mark Gordon voiced concerns on Wednesday about the behavior of U.S. Justice Department election monitors during the state’s primaries, describing their actions as “aggressive” and “irregular.” Speaking at a state canvassing board meeting, Gordon criticized the monitors’ conduct, stating that their behavior appeared to exceed the authority granted by Congress. While he acknowledged the election’s overall success, he emphasized that state and local officials were not informed in advance of the DOJ’s monitoring efforts. “I have asked the attorney general to start looking into the nature of the visits and all that sort of stuff,” Gordon said, adding that he was not objecting to the observers but was troubled by their actions. Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee, a Republican, also expressed dissatisfaction with the DOJ’s approach. She called the monitoring operation a “poorly managed exercise” that showed “complete disregard for our state laws and administration of our elections.” Lee revealed that a DOJ official in Washington had informed her shortly after the monitors’ arrival that the decision to deploy them to Wyoming was made on short notice. She claimed an email sent to her may have been misdirected, leading to confusion. She further stated that the monitors’ questions were “outside the scope of federal voting rights laws,” including inquiries about how the county acquired its new election equipment and requests to examine its tabulators. Lee denied the monitors’ attempts to interview voters, asserting that such actions were inappropriate. The DOJ responded to the criticisms by referencing a statement from Wyoming’s U.S.#wyoming #mark_gordon #debra_lee #doj #laramee_county
