Wyoming GOP governor calls DOJ primary election monitoring ‘aggressive’
Governor Mark Gordon of Wyoming expressed concerns about the conduct of federal officials observing last week’s primary election, describing their behavior as “aggressive” and “irregular.” He has asked the state’s attorney general to investigate the nature of their visits. the Justice Department announced it would monitor Wyoming’s elections to promote transparency, deploying over 75 personnel across multiple states. Wyoming officials, including Secretary of State Chuck Gray and County Clerk Debra Lee, reported that federal monitors arrived during a busy election period, did not initially show credentials, and asked questions beyond typical voting rights laws, such as inquiries about poll worker training and election equipment. Lee also denied monitors’ requests to interview voters and criticized the overall management of the monitoring effort. This election oversight initiative is part of a broader federal effort, with plans to expand monitoring during the upcoming November elections nationwide.
Gov. Mark Gordon (R-WY) raised concerns Wednesday about what he described as “aggressive” and “irregular” conduct by federal officials dispatched to observe last week’s primary election.
“It sounded like the behavior of the observers was a bit aggressive,” Gordon said during a Wednesday meeting of the State Canvassing Board. “It just was irregular, and I have asked the attorney general to start looking into, you know, kind of the nature of the visits and all that sort of stuff.”
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According to meeting minutes, Gordon also said he was uncomfortable with the Justice Department’s election monitoring because his administration had not been informed about the effort. He said he had asked the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office to examine the matter.
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Election Director Paul Raines addressed Gordon’s concerns during the meeting. Gray said public reporting indicated that U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming Darin Smith was aware of the Justice Department’s plans and had been working with the agency.
The Justice Department publicly announced on primary day that it would monitor Wyoming’s election as part of a broader effort to oversee elections in several states.
“This monitoring initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors,” the department said in its announcement.
The Justice Department added that it had deployed more than 75 personnel to monitor elections at more than 200 polling locations across five states during the primary season. By comparison, the department flagged that it sent monitors to nine states during the 2022 midterm elections.
Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee, a Republican and the county’s chief election official, also raised concerns about the federal monitors’ presence at polling locations.
“Two individuals, identifying themselves as DOJ election monitors, informed our poll worker that they were here to monitor Wyoming’s Primary Elections,” Lee said in a statement, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “They did not offer their credentials until I requested they do so.”
Lee said the monitors arrived during a busy period and asked questions she believed appeared “outside the scope of federal voting rights laws.” Among their questions, she said, were inquiries about the nature, length and timing of poll worker training. The monitors also requested training guides, asked how the county acquired its new election equipment, and sought to examine its tabulators, according to Lee.
Lee said she also denied a request by the monitors to interview voters to assess compliance with federal civil rights and voting rights laws.
“We do not allow interviews to be conducted in polling places,” she said.
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“This was a poorly managed exercise and one that showed complete disregard for our state laws and administration of our elections,” Lee added.
The Trump administration has said it plans to expand its election-monitoring efforts, with roughly 1,000 Justice Department personnel expected to be deployed nationwide during the November elections, when voters will decide control of Congress.
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