CHEYENNE — Although there were few surprises in the results of Wyoming’s general election last week, Secretary of State Chuck Gray claimed at the Wyoming State Canvassing Board meeting on Wednesday that “a number of issues” popped up on election night.
The most significant occurred in Weston County, where incorrect ballots were inadvertently used in an election machine, leading to a 1,236-vote disparity in the House District 1 race where state Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, was running unopposed.
A few Weston County residents like Newcastle Mayor Pam Gualtieri requested that the state Canvassing Board delay certifying the results of the general election because of what happened in the miscount. Gualtieri said she’s talked to a few local residents that were elected but aren’t sure if they should take office because of what happened.
“There’s a lot of concerns in our community and with our residents that don’t know if their voice was heard, or voice counted,” she said.
Gray still recommended certifying the election and clarified that local votes in Weston County fall under the jurisdiction of its local canvassing board.
The state Canvassing Board voted unanimously to certify the results of Wyoming’s general election. The. Electoral College will certify Wyoming’s votes on Dec. 17.
What Happened?
Gray said as soon as he saw the questionable vote tally in Neiman’s race, he attempted to contact Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock. Hadlock wasn’t at Wednesday’s meeting nor did she speak remotely, but has taken full responsibility for the miscount.
It was eventually determined that Hadlock had mistakenly used ballots that had been printed out but shouldn’t have been used in the voting machines because of previously-identified errors on them. It was also found that 62 votes had been miscounted in two local county commissioner races in Weston.
When Hadlock didn’t immediately answer her phone on election night, Gray then contacted Weston County Sheriff Bryan Colvard to get a hold of her. Gray and Hadlock eventually made contact around 11:52 p.m. on election night.
An initial post-election audit performed in Weston County had found no issues and as late as Wednesday, Hadlock was still denying that any miscount had occurred, Gray said.
By Wednesday night, however, Gray said an analysis proved that a miscount had occurred. Hadlock acknowledged last Wednesday to Cowboy State Daily that an error had occurred.
Wheatland resident Jill Kauffman, who’s been leading many of the hand count efforts around the state, called this “a cover up and a misdirection.” She encouraged the Canvassing Board to perform a hand count audit of every ballot cast throughout the state in the election.
Gray said the first post-election audit should have caught the incorrect ballots, which he communicated to Hadlock. A new audit was eventually performed that identified the miscount.
On Friday, the Weston County Canvassing Board performed a hand count recount of the election and the two county commissioner races, which produced the final and accurate election results. Although Gray said this recount shows that hand counts can be effectively performed in Wyoming, it still took about four hours to count a selected slate of races.
A number of Weston residents told stories about mistakes Hadlock had made in the past in elections, arguing that the miscount was not an isolated event.
“I have no faith that the three elections I voted in that my vote counted at all,” said Newcastle resident Gillian Sears, a new American citizen.
Rep. Allen Slagle, R-Newcastle, called Hadlock’s behavior “negligent,” while Newcastle residents Stanley Jasinski and Kari Drost went further, saying Hadlock should be removed from office.
The only way county officers can be permanently removed from office is if a formal complaint is filed with the governor and they initiate an investigation through the Attorney General's office. If misconduct or malfeasance is determined by the attorney general, they can pursue removing the officer through a district court. While that proceeding is taking place, the governor can suspend a county officer.
Lessons Learned
Malcolm Ervin, Platte County clerk and president of the County Clerks’ Association of Wyoming, said issues always occur in elections and noted that Hadlock has taken responsibility for the mistake, which he described as a routine “human error.” He also said the best lessons are sometimes learned the hard way, which he said was very fitting to describe what happened in Weston.
State Treasurer Curt Meier asked Ervin if any additional checks could have been performed to better identify the Weston County miscount. Ervin said the clerks will continue to work with the Secretary of State’s office about possible legislative changes.
Gray said “checks and balances” will be one of his main themes of the legislation he’ll push in the upcoming legislative session. He also said a more detailed analysis of the Weston situation will be performed that will be shared with the Wyoming Attorney General’s office and in a public report.
Other Notables
A total of 271,123 ballots were cast in the November election, a relatively high total but not record-breaking.
Early in-person and absentee voting turnout was exceptionally high this election season, with 45% of registered voters, a total of 118,959, having already cast a ballot by the start of Election Day.
A total of 59% of the eligible voting population cast a ballot in Wyoming.
A post-election audit was also conducted in all 23 counties, with only two counties finding any issues. In Platte County, there was an incorrect tabulation of one ballot in a local hospital district race.
A constitutional amendment was passed and all 30 district court judges and two state Supreme Court judges in Wyoming up for retention were approved.
There were no successful write-in candidates in any statewide or federal elections across the state.
Wyoming Director of Elections C.J. Young brought up a few minor election issues that included:
• A ballot was getting scuff marks and not being accepted at the Manderson polling center in Big Horn County. Once one of the voting tabulators was cleaned and the issue was resolved.
• What first appeared to be a corrupted USB stick entered into a vote tabulator ended up actually being determined to be a sticky note that was inadvertently left in the voting machine in Washakie County, causing a paper jam. Gray said this issue was “monitored throughout the day” and quickly resolved.
• In Fremont County, a machine was physically dropped while in transit before the polls opened. The machine was fully operational but once the polls closed, it turned back off after it was supposed to shut down. There were no issues with the results produced on it.
• Also in Fremont County, a recount revealed that two ballots had been jammed in a machine. The recount also produced a slightly different result in the presidential race, with President-elect Donald Trump receiving two more votes and Vice President Kamala Harris receiving one more.
Still Distrusting
Gray, who called himself “a huge public comment guy,” said his department is always focusing on how it can improve its operations.
Wednesday’s lengthy public comment period quickly devolved into a sounding board for election conspiracy theories and criticisms about voting machines, distrust of elections and discontent with Wyoming’s current election laws.
Young said a recount had been requested in House District 13 in Albany County. None of the results changed in this race and state Rep. Ken Chestek, D-Laramie, was still determined the winner.
Albany County Republican Party Vice Chairman Rick Martin said the closing of polling places a few years back in his county led to a vote suppression in his county last week. He believes this was proven by long lines seen at one voting location in Laramie, causing some people to leave before voting, he said. In order to alleviate long lines at the polls, Martin wants the county to provide more resources for registering voters on Election Day.
“This is simply unacceptable and must be addressed by the county,” Martin said.
Klaus Halbsgut, the Albany County Democratic Party State Committeeman and a member of his local canvassing board, said Martin’s claims are baseless.
“I contest the point that was voter suppression, I don’t believe it,” he said.
Even though Trump won Albany County after losing it in 2020, Martin made the claim that people casting fraudulent absentee ballots and the long lines at polling places led to incumbent Democratic state representatives in Laramie being reelected.
Gray also pointed out that every absentee ballot is cross-checked by proof of voter registration but did say shortcomings do exist when it comes to voter residency requirements in Wyoming, an issue he hopes to tackle during the 2025 legislative session.
Martin said votes for specific candidates also need to be audited to make sure they are correct, but Halbsgut said this already takes place. They’re both correct as audits do check for this, but not every vote cast undergoes inspection through the audits.
Wyoming GOP Executive Director Kathy Russell commended the improvements that have been made in Wyoming elections but also said election staff need to be more receptive about fielding questions on election integrity when asked by the public. Despite Trump winning the election, Russell said election integrity will continue to be a major issue for the GOP.
“I’ve seen our process grow by leaps and bounds but issues still remain,” she said.
Contact Leo Wolfson at leo@cowboystatedaily.com
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
