Wyoming's Republican Governor Calls the Justice Department's Primary-Day Election Monitors 'Aggressive' and 'Irregular'

At the Aug. 26 state canvassing board meeting, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said the conduct of Justice Department election monitors at the state's Aug. 18 primary was "a bit aggressive" and "irregular," and asked the state attorney general to examine the visits. Two DOJ attorneys were sent to Laramie County under a monitoring initiative announced the morning of the primary. County Clerk Debra Lee said they did not offer credentials until asked, sought training guides and access to tabulators, and wanted to interview voters, which she refused. Gordon said their "behavior seemed to exceed what the authority that Congress had given them was."

The objection comes from a Republican governor about a Republican administration, and lands as the Justice Department says it will deploy roughly 1,000 staff to monitor the November midterms.

The attorney general review is pending. Secretary of State Chuck Gray disputed Gordon's account, and the Justice Department did not respond to WyoFile's request for comment.