Why It Matters
Wyoming residents whose driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers were handed over to the federal government may have little visibility into whether state law was broken — and a formal complaint aimed at getting answers appears to be stalling inside the Attorney General’s office.
What Happened
A retired Cheyenne attorney named George Powers filed a formal complaint in April against Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, alleging Gray violated state law by turning over sensitive voter data to the U.S. Department of Justice. The complaint has drawn a response from Attorney General Keith Kautz — but not the kind Powers was looking for.
“We’ve seen nothing from him,” Powers said in remarks reported Friday. “And his last comment was, ‘I’m not going to talk to you.'”
The underlying dispute centers on Gray’s decision last August to provide the DOJ with an unredacted statewide voter registration list that included driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers for every registered Wyoming voter. The Trump administration sought similar records from all 50 states, stating the effort was intended to bolster election security. Wyoming was the first of 15 states to fully comply with the federal request.
Gray has defended the decision, saying it was made in close coordination with Kautz. That coordination is precisely why Powers has asked the attorney general to step aside. In a May 20 letter, Powers argued that Kautz faces an irreconcilable conflict between his duty to Gray — whom he advises — and his duty to the public, and called on him to refer the matter to an independent special prosecutor.
The AG’s Response
Kautz has offered little in the way of explanation. His most recent written communication to Powers, dated May 4, signaled the AG had no intention of providing updates. “This response is not an invitation for further communication,” Kautz wrote, adding that prosecutorial decisions “are not conducted in the public square.”
Powers says that was the last meaningful contact he received from the office. Kautz did not respond to requests for comment regarding the complaint’s current status.
The Legal Question
Powers’ complaint cites multiple Wyoming statutes, including a provision that classifies voter data containing Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, birth dates, and other personally identifiable information as confidential records not subject to public disclosure. A separate provision makes it a felony for an official to willfully violate the state’s election code.
Powers argues that when Gray directed his office to send an unredacted voter registry to the DOJ, he knowingly released information the law requires to be kept confidential. Gray, for his part, has dismissed the complaint as an attempt to undermine his office.
“I stand by my work with the Trump Administration to advance election integrity,” Gray wrote on Facebook after the complaint was filed in April. He maintained that his actions were fully within the law and coordinated with the attorney general.
By the Numbers
- Wyoming was the first of 15 states to fully comply with the DOJ’s voter data request
- The Trump administration has filed 31 lawsuits against states — with both Democratic and Republican chief election officials — that did not comply
- Eight of those lawsuits have been dismissed
- Powers submitted his original complaint April 13, with a supplement filed April 17
- The last communication Powers received from the AG’s office was a May 4 email
Zoom Out
Most states that received the federal request either turned over only publicly available, redacted voter data or declined entirely, citing both privacy concerns and the constitutional principle that states — not the federal government — administer elections. At a congressional hearing in March, a DOJ official indicated the agency intended to cross-reference the collected data against Department of Homeland Security records. Wyoming’s rapid and full compliance stood out among all 50 states.
The broader question of Gray’s political standing remains an active story in Wyoming. Wyoming lawmakers have remained largely unmoved by Gray’s calls to revisit electoral maps, signaling some friction between the secretary of state and the legislature even within Republican circles.
What’s Next
Powers said he and his associates are still weighing their options after receiving no substantive response from the AG’s office. “We’re considering options,” he said, adding that no definitive next step had been settled on. Whether the attorney general ultimately acts on the complaint, refers it, or lets it sit unresolved remains an open question with no announced timeline.
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