Wyoming
Wyoming lawyer files complaint against Gray for providing voter data to feds – WyoFile
A Cheyenne lawyer wants a special prosecutor to take on a complaint filed with the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office against Secretary of State Chuck Gray for sharing sensitive voter data with the federal government.
In a complaint sent Monday to Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz, private attorney George Powers alleges that Gray “knowingly and willfully violated his statutory duty to maintain the personally identifiable information in [Wyoming’s voter roll list,] as required by [state law.]”
Pointing to a “clear and immediate conflict of interest,” Powers asked Kautz to refer the complaint “and any further investigation and prosecution … to an independent, disinterested officer, such as a district court judge, for the appointment of a qualified, independent special prosecutor.”
Gray maintains Powers’ complaint is nothing more than an attempt to undermine his office’s work.
“The radical Left and the media will stop at nothing to undermine our work to ensure election integrity and security, and George Powers latest diatribe in coordination with media outlets like WyoFile is nothing more than Trump Derangement Syndrome, clothed in an attempt to use lawfare and the leftwing media to attack my actions on election integrity,” he said in a Tuesday statement.
In August, Gray gave the U.S. Department of Justice the driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers of every registered Wyoming voter — a move that later drew criticism from Wyoming Democrats and the League of Women Voters. Gray has stood by the decision, maintaining it was made in consultation with the Wyoming Attorney General’s office.
The federal government’s request for election records was not unique to Wyoming, but rather part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration to obtain states’ voter rolls. Wyoming was the first state to comply, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-leaning think tank. The organization has tracked states’ responses, which have mostly included either providing publicly available versions of their voter registration lists — i.e., data sets without sensitive information — or altogether declining to provide such records.
While the Trump administration has argued its efforts are intended to keep elections secure, critics have pointed to the U.S. Constitution, which explicitly tasks states, not the federal government, with conducting elections.
Gray addressed Powers’ complaint on social media Monday and sent a similar message to WyoFile when asked for comment.
“I stand by my work with the Trump Administration to advance election integrity. I have worked to maintain compliance with the law and these actions have been carried out in close consultation with the Attorney General,” Gray wrote in a Facebook post. “As the chief election official of the state of Wyoming, I fully support the Trump Administration’s work to advance election integrity, and will continue to advance election integrity.”
Gray also accused Powers of “attempting to use his law license to threaten and intimidate” his office for its “work on election integrity.”
Powers told WyoFile that as of midday Tuesday he had not received a response from the attorney general. Powers is a retired attorney, who, according to his biography, focused primarily on civil trial and appellate litigation in Wyoming with a focus on medical malpractice, insurance claims and railroad litigation. In 2024, he was plaintiff in a successful public records lawsuit against the Wyoming Department of Education
How we got here
The Justice Department first asked Gray in a June 2025 letter to “Please send us Wyoming’s current statewide voter registration list.”
“Please include both active and inactive voters,” according to the letter, signed by Maureen Riordan, acting chief of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section.
Records indicate Gray first exported a publicly available voter registry list in July. However, it did not meet the Justice Department’s demands, according to an Aug. 14 letter from the DOJ, wherein the agency asked Gray for additional information.
“The electronic copy of the statewide [voter registry list] must contain all fields, including the registrant’s full name, date of birth, residential address, his or her state driver’s license number of the last four digits of the registrant’s social security number.” (Emphasis in the letter.)
Such information was needed to assess Wyoming’s compliance with federal law, the letter stated. Two weeks later, Gray complied, according to an Aug. 28 letter.
“Upon review of the provisions cited in your letter, and discussion of the applicable provisions of the Civil Rights Act with the Wyoming Attorney General, we agree that disclosure of the requested records is proper under the Civil Rights Act,” Gray wrote. “With your assurances that the federal privacy protections, including the application of Section 304 of the Civil Rights Act, apply to these records, we anticipate that the Department of Justice will maintain the confidentiality of these records in accordance with Wyoming law.”
The complaint
At the center of Powers’ complaint is a Wyoming law that specifies the confidentiality of certain election records.
According to the statute, “election records containing social security numbers, portions of social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, birth dates, telephone numbers, tribal identification card numbers, e-mail addresses and other personally identifiable information other than names, gender, addresses, unique identifying numbers generated by the state and party affiliations are not public records and shall be kept confidential.”
Powers argues that Gray may have broken this law by sharing confidential records with the federal government.
“When Secretary Gray authorized and directed the officers and staff of the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office to release an unredacted [voter registry list] to the DOJ, he knew that the [list] contained personally identifiable information about the registered voters of Wyoming, which was confidential and not public records,” Powers wrote.
Powers also pushed back on Gray’s assertion that the Justice Department’s request for confidential voter information was lawful under federal election law, including the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.
More specifically, Powers wrote, Wyoming is exempt from the National Voter Registration Act, while the Help America Vote Act does not contain any provision that would require a state to disclose confidential information contained in its voter rolls.
In its correspondence with Gray, the Justice Department argued the Civil Rights Act of 1960 empowered the federal government to “an electronic copy of Wyoming’s complete and current” voter registration list.”
Powers challenged that argument as well.
“The DOJ had no authority or other legal basis permitting it to use the CRA to bootstrap its demand for confidential voter information for an alleged investigation of non-existent claims under completely different statutes, such as the HAVA or NVRA,” Powers wrote.
That should have been clear to Gray, Powers argues.
“When confronted by such a contrived misuse of the law, Secretary Gray’s duty under Wyoming law could not have been clearer,” Powers wrote. “All he had to do was to follow the state law which he was sworn to uphold.”
‘Close consultation’
The complaint also questions to what extent Gray consulted the Wyoming Attorney General before releasing the records to the federal government.
Powers, according to the complaint, submitted a public records request earlier this year asking for records “addressing or assessing whether the transfer of voter information records containing personally identifiable information in response to the USDOJ request would constitute a violation of [state law,] including any legal opinions that may have been obtained, if the [Wyoming Attorney General’s office] considered or relief upon any such opinion in making its decision.”
However, Powers wrote, his request “has produced scant documentation about any alleged ‘close consultation’” with the attorney general’s office.
Instead, Powers wrote, Gray has “produced a handful of redacted email communications to schedule a telephone call between” himself, his staff “and members of the attorney general’s office,” and made “veiled references to an email from Attorney General Kautz that he has described only as an ‘ancillary’ communication.”
“Secretary Gray has withheld all substantive information relating any questions or answers that may have been exchanged in these communications on a claim of attorney-client privilege,” Powers wrote in the complaint.
State law specifies that “complaints that the secretary of state violated the election code shall be filed with the attorney general for investigation and prosecution.” But Powers is asking the attorney general to recuse his office from handling the complaint.
Regardless of Powers’ question regarding that office’s involvement in Gray’s decision, the complaint states, “the likelihood that the Attorney General and the [Wyoming Attorney General’s office] may have previously undertaken Secretary Gray’s representation in connection with the DOJ’s requests, coupled with the possibility that they may have to testify as witnesses in the event of an investigation or prosecution, creates an unavoidable conflict of interest.”
The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office did not respond to WyoFile’s request by publication time.
A father-and-son duo of Blackfeet artists are visiting Riverton and Jackson this week to share their unique takes on ledger art. The events are part of Central Wyoming College’s week-long Native Voices celebration.
Terrance Guardipee and Terran Last Gun will share their work and perspectives during “Behind Linear Narratives: Indigenous Plains Ledger Art,” at the Intertribal Center at CWC’s Riverton campus on May 6 starting at 5:30 p.m.
The two also have an exhibition opening at the Jackson Hole History Museum on May 7, which will be part of an art walk featuring Native artists and Indigenous-inspired food tastings taking place that same evening.
Plains Indian communities lost one of their main canvases when the U.S. government and white settlers started eradicating bison in the mid-1800s. That’s how ledger art was born: Instead of documenting significant events on hides, people would find ways to acquire and draw on filled-out accounting books as a way to keep telling their stories.
Terrance Guardipee
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Central Wyoming College
Terrance Guardipee was introduced to the visual storytelling style by his mentor George Flett in the late 1990s. Flett gave Guardipee eight sheets of ledger paper to try it out.
“ He was a huge influence on me and guided me through my art career,” said Guardipee. “I went to the Institute of American Indian Arts and so did he. We had that connection.”
Flett, Guardipee and a collection of other artists worked together to revitalize and elevate the art form, and eventually succeeded in getting it recognized as its own competitive category at the Sante Fe Indian Market in 2009.
“ All of us had our own role in what we were doing and none of us looked the same,” he said. “Our art didn’t look the same. We were all individual people.”
Over time, Guardipee developed his own unique ledger art style, moving from a more traditional single-page approach to mixed-media collages that include old documents and antique maps – the more coffee-stained and marked-up, the better.
“ I grabbed stock certificates, checks, receipts, music paper, anything I thought my ancestors, if they came across it and they were doing this kind of work, they would’ve used,” he said. “ Each document wasn’t just a random document to me. They all went with the piece.”
The art form, in its many different iterations, has now grown far beyond its Plains roots, expanding all over Indian Country and among women artists, according to Guardipee. But he said his advice to people curious about the form is to create from their own cultural experiences, rather than replicate the symbols or imagery used by other artists.
Terran Last Gun
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Central Wyoming College
“ Get maps of where you’re from. That’s your homeland. Your ancestors are there,” he said. “Their blood’s been there [for] thousands of years. Draw on those. Represents where you’re from.”
Guardipee’s son, Terran Last Gun, is an acclaimed visual artist in his own right and also attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Sante Fe, New Mexico. He took up a version of ledger art, but with his own more contemporary twist grounded in geometric shapes and bright colors.
Terrance Guardipee
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“ Our ancestors evolved. We evolve. Ledger art evolves,” said Guardipee. “You go to my son, doing very abstract-looking ledger art, but it still connects to our culture. It still has to do with who we are, just in a different way of telling the story.”
The duo have both come away with top prizes at the Santa Fe Indian Market in recent years. For Guardipee, watching the ledger art movement grow and then seeing his son find his own path with the form is “the icing on the cake.”
CWC’s Native Voices event also includes screenings of the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier” in Riverton on May 5 and in Jackson on May 6. Film producer Jhane Meyers, who also worked on the 2022 film “Prey” in the “Predator” franchise, will be at both screenings for a post-showing discussion.
The celebration will wrap up on May 9 with the free sixth annual Teton Powwow at the Snow King Event Center in Jackson. The events are free and open to all.
CASPER, Wyo. — On Tuesday, Rep. Elissa Campbell announced her campaign for reelection to Wyoming House District 56.
A release from Campbell says that she’s determined to continue “a commitment to strong conservative leadership, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring that the people of Wyoming have a clear unwavering voice in their state government.”
Campbell is a Wyoming native and University of Wyoming alumna. She currently serves as the executive director for the Wyoming Foundation for Cancer Care. She is also a Casper Rotarian and volunteers with Casper’s Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which builds beds for kids in need.
Campbell has served in House District 56 since August 2024, taking over for former Representative Jerry Obermueller.
“Since taking office, Representative Campbell has diligently represented the values and priorities of the people of District 56 and communities across Wyoming,” the release states. “Her legislative efforts have focused on protecting Wyoming’s economy, defending individual freedoms, strengthening families, and ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”
Campbell has supported and advanced legislation that promotes energy independence. She has also advocated for policies that support local government, law enforcement and small businesses.
“Serving as the Representative for House District 56 has been a tremendous honor,” Campbell said. “Wyoming deserves leaders who listen, work hard, and never forget who they represent. I am running for re-election to continue fighting for our communities, our values, and our Wyoming way of life.”
Campbell emphasized that her campaign will continue to prioritize the principles that have guided her term: limited government, personal responsibility, economic opportunity and preserving Wyoming’s traditions for future generations.
“As long as I have the privilege of serving, I will continue to be a strong and independent voice for the people of Wyoming,” Campbell said. “District 56 deserves leadership that reflects our values and puts Wyoming first.”
The release notes that Rep. Campbell will host a series of community events in the coming months to meet with voters and discuss priorities for the next legislative session.
In her first term, Campbell sponsored House Bill 22, co-sponsored House Bill 208 and helped advance Senate File 145.
On Aug. 20, 2024, Campbell defeated a pair of challengers to win the primary race for House District 56. She received 806 votes, roughly 55% of the ballots cast. Pete Fox received 37% of the votes and Pamela Mertens received 8% of the votes.
For more information on Campbell, visit www.campbell4wyoming.com.
Related
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile
After the Wyoming GOP voted to defy a state law prohibiting the party from backing one Republican over another before the primary election, statewide candidates are split on whether they would accept such an endorsement.
Some told WyoFile they agree with the party’s decision and will seek out an endorsement, while others said they oppose a political party breaking election law. A few said they were taking a wait-and-see approach.
“Jury’s still out on this one for me,” Wyoming State Auditor Kristi Racines said Wednesday.
For years, the Wyoming Republican Party has argued that because it is a private organization, state laws that govern its organizational structure and prohibit it from endorsing or financially backing candidates in opposed primary election races are unconstitutional.
At its convention in Douglas last weekend, the party took things into its own hands, voting to adopt bylaws establishing a process for vetting, endorsing and spending money to support candidates ahead of the primary.
Supporters of the new bylaws point to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1989, which struck down California’s ban on political party endorsements, ruling that the law violated the First Amendment’s guarantees of free speech and association. Opponents, meanwhile, raised concerns at the convention about the bylaws breaking the law, litigation costs and unintended consequences.
The new bylaws are widely expected to spark lawsuits, while the Wyoming Republican Party has said it plans to file its own legal challenge against the state.
In the meantime, the new bylaws lay out a process for evaluating candidates based on “commitment to the Wyoming Republican Party Platform, demonstrated loyalty to the Party’s principles, legal eligibility to hold office, and for incumbents, their voting record.”
The state party will consider candidates running for Wyoming’s state-elected officials — including governor, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, treasurer and auditor — as well as congressional candidates. Otherwise, county parties “may vet all other races on their respective County Ballots,” according to the new bylaws.
The state party, as well as each county party, “shall each create and oversee a Candidate Vetting Committee empowered to review and recommend approval or disapproval of candidates based on established criteria,” the bylaw states. “The Committee shall provide candidates an opportunity to respond to concerns prior to issuing a recommendation.”
Candidates
Brent Bien, who is running for governor, told WyoFile the bylaw changes are “a long time coming,” pointing back to the 1989 ruling.
“I think we just got to make sure we get those folks that truly believe on the Republican side of the equation, who truly believe in the platform and what Wyoming stands for,” Bien said. “And I just don’t think there’s been any enforcement mechanism to do that.”
At the convention, Bien was a clear favorite among many attendees who wore his campaign buttons and t-shirts. Still, Bien said he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t get the party’s endorsement.
“I didn’t get Trump’s endorsement,” Bien said. “And some of these legislators around the state, you know, they haven’t endorsed me.”
Bien’s take isn’t shared by all the gubernatorial candidates.
“Contested primaries should be decided by voters,” Gillette Sen. Eric Barlow wrote in a statement. “The role of the state party is to unite Republicans around shared values and help grow the party, not decide elections before voters have had their say.”
“Under current law, the state party should not choose sides in Republican primaries, and I will not ask them to start now,” he wrote. “My job,” running for governor, “is to earn the trust of Wyoming voters directly.”
At the convention, supporters of the bylaws said the party had tried to get the Legislature to change state statute. Barlow directly pushed back on that argument.
“As a legislator for the past 14 years, this issue has never come before us,” Barlow said. “If it had, it would have ensured all Wyomingites could weigh in and decisions would have been made openly and transparently — not in the courts and not a few months before an election.”
Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who is running for U.S. House, told WyoFile he supports the new bylaws.
“I will participate in the Party’s vetting process and will seek their support because I’m the only candidate in this race with a proven record of standing up for conservative principles — even when it wasn’t popular with the media and the insiders,” he wrote in a statement.
As secretary of state, Gray is Wyoming’s chief election officer and oversees statewide election administration. Asked if he wanted to comment in his official capacity on the Wyoming Republican Party’s decision to defy state law, Gray did not respond by publishing time.
U.S. House candidate David Giralt took a more cautious approach when asked for his opinion on the new bylaws.
“I trust Wyoming Republicans to make good decisions for our party, and I’ll let the process play out,” Giralt said. “I’m focused on getting in front of as many Wyoming voters as possible and making the case for why I’m the right person to represent this state in Congress.”
Kevin Christensen, another U.S. House candidate, said he wanted to see how fair, transparent and consistent the process played out before weighing in.
“The Wyoming people are the ones that make the determination in the primary, not the party,” he said. “That being said, if this is about supporting candidates and determining who is really a Republican and who’s just putting an ‘R’ next to their name, that seems like that would be consistent with being the Republican Party.”
Jillian Balow, yet another candidate for U.S. House and former superintendent of public instruction, said she “would be honored to accept an endorsement and money from the state party only if it is in accordance with Wyoming and federal law.”
“The contingency of our party at the convention knew the changes they made defied state law and they curtailed delegate discussion to pass new by-laws anyway,” Balow wrote in a statement. “Some delegates were appalled, some were gleeful, and many were silent, because they were silenced. This is not the way Wyoming does business.”
U.S. House candidate Reid Rasner also pushed back on the new bylaws.
“As a pro-Trump conservative, I always expected the political establishment to try and stop our campaign,” he wrote in a statement. “But, after making over 200 stops across our communities, one thing is clear: people are tired of the political games.”
Sheridan Republican Rep. Tom Kelly, who is running for superintendent, said while he opposes “the idea of parties having the power to disallow anyone from running under their banner,” he thinks “parties should be able to express publicly which people they would like to represent them.”
Though he’s not actively seeking endorsements, Kelly said he would accept support from the state party.
“Financial backing? Absolutely,” Kelly said. “Contrary to a popular false narrative, I have no wealthy D.C. donors bankrolling me.”
And if the party endorsed one of his opponents, Kelly said he would tell them, “Congrats. I should have done a better job presenting myself.”
WyoFile reached out to other statewide Republican candidates, including those running for governor, secretary of state, superintendent, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. They did not respond by publishing time.
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
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