POLITICS

Wyoming governor requests investigation into activity of Justice Department monitors during primary

PUBLISHED Aug 28, 2026, 4:14 PM ET

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Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has asked the state attorney general to investigate the conduct of two Justice Department attorneys who monitored the Aug. 18 primary in Laramie County, officials said. The monitors arrived after polls opened and sought to interview voters, question officials about poll-worker training, obtain training materials, and examine election tabulators, according to Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee. Lee said her office denied voter interviews and had not received advance notice, while a DOJ official later said the deployment was made on short notice and an email may have gone to the wrong address. Gordon described the behavior as “aggressive” and “irregular,” but said he was not alleging that the election outcome was affected. The DOJ said its Civil Rights Division was monitoring Wyoming to promote transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal voting-rights laws. The investigation will examine what occurred and whether federal monitors exceeded their authority.

By Emily Rhodes | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

On August 18, 2026, DOJ deployed two attorneys to monitor Laramie County polls.
On August 18, 2026, Wyoming held its statewide primary elections amid federal monitoring.
On August 18, 2026, monitors sought voter interviews and questioned election administration procedures.
On August 18, 2026, Clerk Lee denied requested voter interviews inside polling places.
On August 18, 2026, DOJ announced monitoring publicly on primary election day.
On August 26, 2026, Gordon criticized federal monitors during canvassing certification proceedings.
On August 27, 2026, Gordon referred monitors’ conduct to Wyoming Attorney General Kautz.
On August 28, 2026, Kautz’s investigation was publicly confirmed by Gordon’s spokesperson.
On August 28, 2026, DOJ maintained monitoring protected ballots and voting-rights compliance.
On August 28, 2026, no evidence showed monitoring changed Wyoming’s election outcome.

News Intelligence

Immediate US impact: Federal-state tensions over election monitoring intensify before November’s midterms.
Possible long-term US impact: Disputes could reshape federal election-monitoring practices and state cooperation.
Most affected groups: Wyoming election officials, poll workers, voters, DOJ personnel, state agencies.
Reader priority: Readers should prioritize official statements, election records, court documents, and independent reporting.