Why It Matters
A dispute over Wyoming’s decision to hand over sensitive voter data to the federal government has escalated into a transparency standoff, with a retired Cheyenne attorney accusing the state’s top law enforcement officer of leaving a formal legal complaint unanswered. At stake are questions about voter privacy, state law, and whether Wyoming officials acted within legal boundaries when they became the first state to fully comply with a federal request for unredacted voter registration records.
What Happened
George Powers, a retired civil litigator based in Cheyenne, filed a formal complaint in April against Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, alleging that Gray may have broken state law by transmitting driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers for every registered Wyoming voter to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ had sent similar requests to all 50 states as part of a Trump administration initiative the administration has described as an election security effort.
Gray defended the decision, saying it was made in close coordination with Attorney General Keith Kautz. Because of that coordination, Powers asked Kautz to step aside and refer the complaint to an independent special prosecutor, arguing the attorney general faces an irreconcilable conflict of interest between his duties to Gray and his obligations to the public.
“The conflict between your duties to Gray and your duties to the public create an intolerable conflict of interest,” Powers wrote in a May 20 letter to Kautz, urging recusal.
Kautz has declined to provide updates on the complaint’s status. In a May 4 email to Powers, the attorney general said prosecutorial decisions are not made publicly and told Powers the response was “not an invitation for further communication.” Kautz did not respond to requests for comment about the case’s current status.
By the Numbers
- April 13, 2026: Powers filed his initial complaint against Gray
- 15 states ultimately provided full compliance with the DOJ voter data request; Wyoming was the first
- 31 lawsuits filed by the Trump administration against states that resisted the voter data request, with eight cases since dismissed
- 3 state statutes cited in Powers’ complaint, including one classifying violations of the election code as a felony and another mandating confidentiality of voter records containing Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and other personally identifiable information
- May 4: The last date Powers received any communication from the attorney general’s office
The Legal Argument
Wyoming statute explicitly designates certain voter registration data — including Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, birth dates, and other identifying details — as confidential and not subject to public disclosure. Powers contends that when Gray directed his office to transmit an unredacted voter registry to the DOJ, he knowingly released records the law required to be kept private.
Gray rejected that characterization when the complaint was first filed. “I stand by my work with the Trump Administration to advance election integrity,” he wrote publicly, adding that all actions were taken in consultation with the attorney general.
Powers, whose prior legal work centered on civil trial and appellate litigation in Wyoming, successfully sued the Wyoming Department of Education in 2024 over a public records dispute. He said he and his associates are weighing next steps but have not yet determined a course of action.
Zoom Out
The broader federal voter data collection effort has drawn resistance across the country. Most states that responded to the DOJ request provided publicly available versions of their voter rolls — data sets stripped of sensitive identifiers — or declined to comply at all, citing both privacy concerns and the Constitution’s assignment of election administration to the states. A Justice Department official stated earlier this year that the collected data would be cross-referenced against Department of Homeland Security records. The administration’s subsequent lawsuits have targeted states with both Republican and Democratic chief election officers. For more on Wyoming’s political landscape heading into recent election cycles, see how the state prepared to vote amid shifting political dynamics.
What’s Next
Powers said he is evaluating his options but has not finalized a path forward. Without a response from the attorney general’s office, it remains unclear whether the complaint will receive a formal review, be dismissed, or prompt referral to an independent prosecutor as Powers has requested. Kautz has not indicated publicly how or when the matter will be resolved. For context on Wyoming’s broader partisan realignment, see this analysis of where Democrats stand in the state.