This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
Gov. Mark Gordon is recommending the removal of Weston County’s election clerk following an investigation into new verified complaints about her conduct in office that were submitted in October.
Gordon sent a letter to Attorney General Keith Kautz on Wednesday directing Kautz to “commence prosecution of the removal of Clerk [Becky] Hadlock from office.”
Hadlock did not immediately return a request for comment.
Gordon wrote that two of her actions while in office could both “likely” be considered misconduct or malfeasance. Those include failure to heed a legislative subpoena issued by lawmakers on the Management Council, as well as a post-election ballot audit Hadlock submitted to Secretary of State Chuck Gray in November 2024, “which failed to discover twenty-one incorrect ballot entries.”
“At some point persistent incompetence rises to a level of misconduct whether willful or not. Clerk Hadlock’s pattern of lackadaisical conduct in these matters appears sufficient to me to presume misconduct,” Gordon wrote.
How we got here
Hadlock’s handling of the 2024 election came under scrutiny beginning in December that year, when nine qualified electors submitted a letter of complaint to the governor’s office.
They asked for Hadlock’s removal, outlining four specific complaints:
- Mishandling election ballots by ordering and using multiple ballot versions in the general election.
- Improperly testing voting machines during the primary and general elections.
- Using incorrect ballots in the general election, which necessitated hand-recounts.
- Causing an undercount of 1,289 votes.
Gordon responded to the electors last spring in a letter, saying Hadlock made “serious mistakes,” but through interviews with her and others, he didn’t believe they were made with malicious intent. Gordon added that the county clerk is an elected position and there’s a high bar to remove someone who was duly elected by their constituents.
Secretary of State Gray also investigated Hadlock’s conduct and in March of 2025 called for her removal from office.
Hadlock was also under investigation by a legislative subcommittee during the interim.
At one of their meetings, state leaders advocated for a variety of policy changes that might prevent what happened in Weston County from occurring again.
Gray told the subcommittee about his support of three election overhaul bills in the last session that died, including a bill to expand the use of hand count audits of elections sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland), a bill allowing for hand count audits of random precincts sponsored by Rep. Ann Lucas (R-Cheyenne), and a ban on voting equipment sponsored by Rep. Scott Smith (R-Lingle).
Reactions
Gray said he’s relieved by the governor’s decision.
“After over a year of investigation, hours of testimony, and multiple referrals about the conduct of the Weston County clerk, I am relieved to see that the Governor has requested the Attorney General to act on our requests to initiate removal of Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock,” Grey wrote in a statement. “Our referrals of Becky Hadlock were not made lightly, and I continue to be troubled by Clerk Hadlock’s pattern of conduct.”
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus (WYFC) released a press release cheering the recommendation as well.
“The investigatory subcommittee uncovered Hadlock’s clear dereliction of duty and disregard for the law- so much so that the insiders couldn’t ignore it any longer. We cheer the Attorney General's move to begin removal proceedings against Hadlock, and we will never stop fighting for accountability in Wyoming government,” the caucus said in a press release.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
