The question of whether or not elections are secure, and whether or not voting machines are reliable, is one that has come up in discussion regularly these days.
While the Wyoming Republican Party has filed a lawsuit regarding election integrity in Laramie County and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has requested county clerks to retest electronic voting systems around the state, the Sweetwater County Republican Party is reassuring voters that local equipment is secure.
"Recently there have been some allegations around the state regarding irregularities with voting equipment," Elizabeth Bingham, Chairman of the Sweetwater County Republican Party, said in a letter sent to local Republicans on Saturday, August 10.
Bingham explained that Wyoming Statute allows each party to send representatives to inspect the County Clerk's preparation and certification of voting equipment. Bingham, precinct committee members, and active Republicans attended a certification of Sweetwater County's equipment with County Clerk Cindy Lane.
"Following that inspection and review, the Sweetwater County Republican Party would like to assure our fellow voters that the equipment which will be used in our upcoming primary election has been properly prepared and inspected and we have full faith and confidence that our votes will be fully and fairly counted," Bingham said in the letter.
Those with questions were encouraged to contact either Chairman Bingham or Clerk Lane, and everyone was encouraged to participate in the primary election next Tuesday, August 20.
"Voting is essential to maintaining our freedoms and way of life," Binghman said.
Despite these reassurances for Sweetwater County, the question of election integrity is still in debate across Wyoming, with Secretary of State Chuck Gray sending out a request for retesting eight days before the election.
"Following multiple reports that some counties' public testing of voting equipment did not assign a different number of valid votes to each candidate for an office during their respective public testing of voting equipment as required by statute, Secretary of State Chuck Gray sent a letter to all county clerks, requesting those whose test failed to comply with Wyoming law to retest the electronic voting systems they intend to use in the 2024 Primary Election in conformance with Wyoming law," a press release from the office of Chuck Gray, sent out Monday, August 12, explained.
"As outlined in our office's June 25, 2024 guidance, W.S. 22-11-104(b)(iii) unambiguously states that '[d]uring the test a different number of valid votes shall be assigned to each candidate for an office, and for and against each measure,'" Secretary Gray wrote in his letter to the county clerks.
"This requirement is not just a formality," Secretary Gray continued. "It is crucial to ensuring that the electronic voting machines are accurately counting and tabulating the votes for each candidate when the actual ballots are tabulated on election night. Assigning the same number of votes for two or more candidates in the same race is plainly contrary to that statute."
Gray added that "multiple counties have failed to assign a different number of valid votes to each candidate for their test ballots," and asked every county whose public test initially failed to retest their voting systems.
On Monday, the same day that Secretary Gray asked counties to retest their equipment, the Wyoming Republican Party sent out several press releases related to the issue, pointing out counties whose tests have failed, and explaining why the testing numbers are important.
"By erroneously using the same numbers for candidates in the same race, it is unclear if Candidate A got his own votes or that of Candidate B with the same number of assigned test votes, and vice versa," the Wyoming GOP explained in a press release. "Second, by using 0s, a 0 is not a valid number under the statutes for purposes of testing. Further, in some instances the write-in votes and overvotes will be assigned a 0, which is also untestable and is not a 'valid vote.'"
The first county to fail to test its voting systems using valid testing procedures was Laramie County, which led to the Wyoming GOP joining Laramie County candidates in filing a lawsuit "to hold Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee accountable for failing to test the voting system properly," a press release from the Republican party sent on August 8 explained.
As other tests came back from other counties that didn't properly follow statute, the Wyoming GOP said in their August 12 press releases that the "errors cast doubt on the accuracy of Wyoming's primary elections," and "Wyoming voters should be very concerned and demand action to ensure our primary election 8 days from now is fair, accurate and honest."
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