A ballot drop box outside the Laramie County Courthouse, in Cheyenne on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan. Michael Smith/For the Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee. Courtesy photo

Cheyenne resident David Blackwell, left, votes, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne resident Gerald Blackwell votes, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne residents vote, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

“I voted” stickers on a table at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne residents line up to vote, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne ,on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

A ballot drop box outside the Laramie County Courthouse, in Cheyenne on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan. Michael Smith/For the Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee. Courtesy photo

Cheyenne resident David Blackwell, left, votes, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne resident Gerald Blackwell votes, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne residents vote, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

“I voted” stickers on a table at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne, on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne residents line up to vote, at the Laramie County Courthouse in Cheyenne ,on Friday. Alyte Katilius/Wyoming Tribune Eagle

CHEYENNE – In the face of some distrust by Wyomingites of the integrity of voting systems, election officials want to reassure the public that upcoming votes are secure.

And should there be any issues of alleged criminal acts, or even calls to local authorities, law enforcement officials said they will be ready to intervene. However, they are not planning on proactively monitoring polling places.

Outgoing Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan and Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee stressed, in interviews with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle this past week, that voters should have confidence in the upcoming Tuesday primary election.

“If you don’t trust law enforcement, for example, if you don’t trust your elected officials, if you don’t trust your courts, if you don’t trust your elections – all of those things are the foundations that are integral to a properly functioning democracy,” Buchanan said.

Both Buchanan and Lee described the numerous checks and balances to ensure a secure and accurate tally of votes.

Lee explained that the state’s voter registration system is a database checked against Wyoming Department of Health records to remove people who have died. Voter registration is also checked against Social Security numbers, state driver’s license numbers and criminal records in cases of people with felonies who may be ineligible to vote.

Wyoming voters are also required to show proof of identification when they vote, whether a driver’s license or state-issued ID, a passport or a military ID. Residents can present an ID issued from another state, as well, and there is no requirement to how long someone needs to have lived in the area to be able to vote.

Wyoming’s voter ID law went into effect last July. A full list of accepted documents are on the secretary of state’s website at sos.wyo.gov/Elections/VoterID/Default.aspx.

A chain of custody is established for any materials that leave the county clerk’s office and travel to voting locations.

“We know who brought it, who delivered it, what time, what date, we know when it’s brought back – we know who has done that, and what time and date,” Lee explained. “Everything has security seals on it,” whether tamper-evident seals, or wire seals that are “uniquely numbered,” with records “that are checked and rechecked at every step of the process.”

Wyoming’s election machines are not connected to the internet, the two officials said.

Lee suggested people can think of voting machines as “an expensive pencil” marking on a paper ballot.

Electronic voting machines can help eliminate common voting errors, such as selecting too many candidates, and minimizes confusion that can result from inadequately bubbled or punched physical ballots, or illegible handwriting. Machines can make it easier for people with disabilities to vote, allowing anyone to enlarge text, change the font or adjust the screen’s contrast.

“The voter uses that to mark their choices for the ballot, and then the paper ballot is produced (and) the voter can examine and verify that, yes, those are the selections I made before actually casting that ballot in the tabulator,” Lee said. “The votes are tabulated from that paper ballot, and they’re also auditable from that paper ballot.”

Speaking separately and on Friday, Buchanan said the state’s ballots are kept for almost two years following an election so they can be recounted or examined, if needed.

When it comes to physical security of voting machines and ballots, Lee said “it would be very evident” if someone were to tamper with the equipment, and all of it is under video surveillance.

Lee encouraged people to get involved with elections and ask questions of reliable sources.

Local law enforcement say they don’t plan to have any officers stationed at polling places.

Representatives from the Cheyenne Police Department, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Highway Patrol each said separately their departments would be available if called upon to respond to an incident.

Officials said incidents or disruptions involving elections seem to be rare in Laramie County, and in Wyoming as a whole.

Close to 60% of voters surveyed in a recent University of Wyoming poll said that they are “very confident” that votes in the state’s primary election “will be accurately counted this year.” Those who are “somewhat confident” make up 32%, and those who are “not too confident” and “not confident at all” totaled just 4 and 3%, respectively.

This is despite the same poll saying 43% of those surveyed believe “there is solid evidence that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election,” and 40% who said President Joe Biden was “not legitimately elected.”

Although Buchanan works to communicate the accuracy and security of election systems to voters, he said he never backs down from questions.

“I welcome the questions, because I know the national narrative has created some seeds of doubt,” Buchanan said. “And so I start by saying, ‘It’s understandable that you have questions. If I weren’t in this business, I would have the same questions. So let’s talk about those.’”

He addresses those questions “one by one,” explaining exactly how Wyoming’s voting machines work.

After a recent presentation in Moorcroft, the secretary said, he stayed afterward for four hours until all elections-related questions were exhausted.

Answering these questions is vital to maintaining or building confidence in democratic systems, Buchanan said.

“We didn’t dismiss things out of hand, and we were proactive in going out and educating people about our election systems, because we wanted them to know that we could answer all their questions, and wanted them to know that they could have confidence in these systems,” he said. “I recognize that if any of us lose confidence in those institutions that are the foundation of our republic, then you’re gonna cease to have your Republic – you’re gonna cease to have your democracy.”

Buchanan, a Republican, has repeatedly touted efficacy of Wyoming’s voting systems, and in public presentations has refuted misinformation the 2020 election was “rigged.”

He has spoken against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Minnesota businessman who has promoted the theory that voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion worked with foreign countries to rig machines and prevent former President Donald Trump from being re-elected.

The machines used in Wyoming since 2020 came from Election Systems & Software, which is based in Omaha. Buchanan said the head of security at the company is a Navy veteran from Scottsbluff who worked for years as security expect for the military and the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

ES&S machines are tested before use, both by the federal government and independently in Idaho. The machines are checked for vulnerabilities to things like hacking, and then must “flawlessly” count a million ballots before they’re part of a real election, Buchanan said.

“People will say, well, ‘We trust what you’re telling us, but what you don’t know is...’ ‘Companies, you may trust them, but I don’t trust them,’ etc. Well, I’ve gotten to know these people personally, met them,” the secretary said.

The state’s top election official also encourages Wyomingites to become poll workers, who are always in demand.

“I have found that people that go and become poll workers learn even more about the election process, and when they do that, they have more confidence than other citizens, because they actually worked in the process and saw exactly what went on with their own eyes,” Buchanan said. “And they usually come away with a greater appreciation and confidence in the system.”

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.

Early voting in Laramie County is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Laramie County Governmental Complex Atrium at 309 W. 20th St. Early voting is available from July 1 through Aug. 15. The site will be closed on county holidays.

To vote on Election Day, Aug. 16, cast your ballot between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at any of the seven polling locations in Laramie County. Make sure to bring your ID.

Absentee ballots can be requested through the Laramie County Clerk's Office. They can be mailed, delivered back to the office or deposited 24/7 in the secure ballot drop box outside the Laramie County Governmental Complex on Carey Ave, between 19th and 20th streets. Ballots that arrive after 7 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted.

For more information, visit elections.laramiecountyclerk.com/how-do-i-vote/.

CHEYENNE – Early voting in Wyoming’s Aug. 16 primary election begins today for eligible Laramie County residents.

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