A Quiet Handover: Wyoming’s Voter Data Moves to Washington Amid National Clash

In a move that has ignited a political firestorm in Wyoming, Secretary of State Chuck Gray shared the sensitive personal information of every registered voter in the state—including driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers—with the U.S. Department of Justice. The handover, which occurred in August, remained largely unnoticed until recent national events cast a spotlight on similar federal requests, prompting fierce criticism from voter advocacy groups and state Democrats.

Gray, the state’s chief election official, defends his action as a lawful and routine response to a request from federal law enforcement. He states he acted “in close consultation with the Wyoming Attorney General and the Wyoming Attorney General’s office” to ensure the state’s compliance with federal voting rights laws like the Civil Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act. In a public statement, he dismissed criticism as “false claims… driven by Trump Derangement Syndrome and left-wing hysteria.”

Critics see a stark violation of voter privacy and state authority. The League of Women Voters of Wyoming condemned Gray’s decision “to surrender Wyoming citizens’ private voter information,” arguing that “the safest way to protect sensitive data is to limit access to it.” They, along with the Wyoming Democratic Party, assert that the action undermines public confidence in the election system and compromises the secure work of county clerks. They have called on Governor Mark Gordon and Attorney General Bridget Hill to review Gray’s statutory authority.

The timeline reveals a negotiated compliance. After an initial request in June, Gray’s office first provided a standard voter list in July. The DOJ sent a follow-up demand in August, insisting on the inclusion of all data fields, including the sensitive identifiers. Two weeks later, Gray complied, sending the full dataset after securing written assurances from the DOJ that federal privacy protections would apply.

Wyoming finds itself at the forefront of a national legal and political battle over election authority. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, Wyoming was the first state to fully comply with the DOJ’s sweeping request for comprehensive voter roll data. At least 11 states have complied, while about two dozen others are fighting the request in court. This has created an unprecedented standoff, with states like Republican-led Utah and Idaho also refusing the federal demand, illustrating that the divide is not strictly partisan.

The core legal tension hinges on the balance of power. The federal government cites its authority under civil rights laws to request the data for election security purposes. Opponents, including many state officials, argue this is an overreach, noting that the U.S. Constitution tasks states with conducting elections. With Gray’s action, the private data of Wyoming’s voters is now part of the largest national voter roll dataset ever assembled by the Justice Department, its ultimate use and security a subject of intense debate within the state.