Teton County approves interagency e‑poll agreement amid data‑privacy questions
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Summary
Teton County commissioners unanimously approved an interagency agreement with the Wyoming Secretary of State to connect local e‑poll check‑in systems with the statewide voter registration system after staff said the county will not release non‑public data fields; the clerk reminded the board the party‑affiliation filing deadline is May 13.
Teton County commissioners voted unanimously April 7 to approve an agreement allowing the county’s e‑poll check‑in system to connect directly with the Wyoming statewide voter registration database.
Maureen Murphy, who introduced the item, said the system lets poll workers check voter eligibility at the point of service and that the connection brings registration data into the county system in real time. “So we have that data in full time,” Murphy said, explaining the operational benefit.
Commissioners asked whether sharing registration data with the Secretary of State exposed voters’ private information. One commissioner asked whether the Secretary of State’s action of “turn[ing] over election information to the national government” had created concerns among constituents. County staff replied that the state office has access to the statewide registration database and that, for Teton County, staff do not release nonpublic fields such as driver‑license numbers or Social Security numbers. The clerk also told the board the deadline to change party affiliation before candidate filing is May 13.
The board approved the agreement with a motion and a second and recorded the vote as carried unanimously.
