Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon expressed concern over how election monitors from the U.S. Justice Department observed the state’s primary election, characterizing the federal presence as “aggressive” and “irregular.” Speaking at a state canvassing board meeting, Gordon said he asked the state attorney general to look into the nature of the visits by the federal personnel.
Wyoming Governor Raises Alarms Over Unannounced DOJ Election Monitors
The deployment involved two attorneys from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, who monitored polls in Laramie County, the state’s most populous county. According to Gordon, state and local officials were given no advance notice of the federal operation. The governor noted that Wyoming Office of Homeland Security Director Lynn Budd stated during a security briefing that she was unaware of the federal operation beforehand, which Gordon called a surprise.
Gordon remarked that while he was not objecting to the presence of observers, their behavior seemed to exceed the authority granted to them by Congress. He stated that it was too early to consider litigation regarding the matter.
Local Election Officials Report Disruptions and Overreach
Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee also criticized the conduct of the federal monitors, describing the deployment as a poorly managed exercise that showed complete disregard for state laws and election administration. Lee stated that the monitors arrived at extremely busy times when poll workers were attempting to register, check in, and assist voters.
According to Lee, the federal monitors attempted to interview voters, a request she denied. She noted that state rules do not allow interviews to be conducted inside polling places. Lee also stated that the monitors asked questions outside the scope of federal voting rights laws, requested training guides, asked how new election equipment was acquired, and wanted to examine tabulators.
After learning of their presence, Lee spoke with a Justice Department official in Washington, who informed her that the decision to deploy monitors was made on short notice and that an notification email may have gone to the wrong address. By Gordon’s count, the federal agents visited at least six of Laramie County’s seven polling stations.
Justice Department and Federal Rationale
In response to inquiries, the Justice Department referred to statements released around the time of the primary. Darin Smith, the U.S. attorney for Wyoming, said in a statement that voters deserve absolute confidence that their ballots are secure and that their voices are heard without interference. Smith stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office coordinated with the Civil Rights Division to monitor polling sites to ensure transparency, ballot security, and strict compliance with federal voting rights statutes.
Harmeet K. Dhillon serves as the assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division, which has led the mobilization of federal election monitors to various states during the primary season. Federal officials stated that the deployment fully aligned with their mission to protect the vote, though they did not comment on internal operational timelines.
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