Dear editor:

Did you know ...?

By statute, electronic voting tabulators are NOT required for use in every Wyoming county. Each county may make its own decision.

By statute, IF electronic voting tabulators are used, then the paper ballots CANNOT be counted or audited by humans.

Surveys always use a small sample of people to represent the overall public view.

Humans have demonstrated capability to accurately count ballots, and when hand counting is performed, it may be observed and fully audited.

Park County commissioners have recently voted to have online electronic poll (“e-poll”) books in each voting location, making voter fraud increasingly possible.

Let’s take each point individually.

1. By statute, explained in Title 22 — Elections, the commissioners may choose to not use electronic tabulators, but Park County commissioners refuse to make this choice despite its citizens overwhelmingly preferring their ballot be hand-counted by extensively trained officials rather than machine-counted. Since 2021, our first survey showed 81% of those surveyed preferred hand-counting, and every year since the percent has increased to now registered voters at 87% in 2025.  

2. After requesting an audit of the paper ballots from either the 2022 or 2020 election (with no intention of changing the results), we learned that our legislators made it a point to not allow an audit of any ballots that have been counted electronically.  

3. Our commissioners’ position is our surveys don’t adequately represent Park County voters. Typically, national polls sample 0.006% of the population. Our last survey included 5% (798) of Park County registered voters. In late December, we met with each commissioner individually where they said they have never talked with anyone who wants to get rid of the voting machines. Seriously? The commissioners spent $16,000 on a survey of residents for the Land Use project but are unwilling to spend anything to learn public opinion on this issue.  

 4. Before machines, people counted ballots and it worked just fine. So now we don’t trust our neighbors but instead trust that ES&S, an out-of-state, private, for-profit organization, is counting our votes accurately? In our last survey, 18% said they are willing to volunteer and be trained as election officials. With enough trained volunteers, counting can be done quickly and audited if necessary.

5. In 2024 the commissioners voted against the clerk’s recommendation to implement e-poll books. Public dissent was expressed and the cost was about $80,000. But recently, the commissioners quietly changed their position, approving a 2026 expense to implement e-poll books. Why? In January 2026 the elections department presented to the GOP, that their 2024 precinct consolidation created wait times of up to two hours in some voting locations. Their solution to these longer wait times is to now implement e-poll books! E-poll books are connected to the internet to validate registered voters, or to register voters onsite. Therefore, every voting location in Park County will be accessible to any bad actor in the world.

If any of this concerns you, the Republican caucus is coming up, Feb. 7! See ParkCountyRepublicans.com for more information.

Dave McMillan

Cody