Gordon pushes back on drop box security concerns at gubernatorial debate

Oct. 14—CHEYENNE — During a debate among candidates for governor, current Gov. Mark Gordon appeared to have subtly pushed back on his recent secretary of state appointee, Karl Allred's criticism of ballot drop boxes.

Gordon said the boxes that collect ballots, which are usually not inside the polling place itself, but nearby, are "under surveillance on a regular basis."

The state's gubernatorial candidates debated Thursday night, hosted by WyomingPBS and Wyoming Public Media in Riverton. In another debate also at Central Wyoming College's Peck Theater, the likely next U.S. representative for Wyoming, Harriet Hageman, got ample criticism for not showing up.

As the three candidates for governor discussed an array of issues, Gordon said he supports county clerks taking up the drop box issue and the discussion surrounding it. He said he believes elections in the state have been and are secure. Democratic nominee Theresa Livingston concurred.

Gordon, who is seeking a second term, pointed out that he'd signed the state's law requiring identification to vote. He said he had worked with former Secretary of State Ed Buchanan to "strengthen" the state's absentee voting system.

After Buchanan left the post to become a judge, a job Gordon selected him for, the governor picked Allred as his temporary successor. Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, is likely to become the next permanent secretary of state, following the general election on Nov. 8. Gray also has raised concerns about the ballot drop boxes.

For her part, Livingston said it's important to increase the number of voters, and to make it easier for people to vote.

Libertarian candidate Jared Baldes said that he would be in favor of "whatever we can to restore voters' confidence," even if that's removing ballot drop boxes or moving to open primaries.

Education

Funding for K-12 schools was the topic of several questions.

The issue of charter schools, three of which recently got approval from a state board, also came up. Gordon said he wanted to make changes to that process for the future.

As for the state's approval last month of the three applications, Baldes said that "more school choice is always good."

Livingston said she doesn't necessarily support this. Some of the curriculum she has seen is "bothersome" to her, she said, and she worries that new charter schools would take money away from existing public schools.

Gordon said that the State Loan and Investment Board's approval of the applications wasn't an "endorsement," but permission to proceed in working out contracts and other considerations. The board is comprised of the governor and the other four top statewide elected officials.

It's clear, he said, that "the system we have for setting up these charter schools is currently flawed. ... School choice is important and charter schools have a role to play, but the way Wyoming is doing that needs to be refined and improved."

Gordon also said that charter schools that are created to serve particular communities may have merit. He suggested that national organizations may not be fully targeted to particular communities.

The Wyoming Education Association's lawsuit against the state, accusing it of not fulfilling its constitutional duty to provide equitable education to all students, also was discussed.

Gordon emphasized the state needs to be reviewing how many assessments are required for students, as there are too many. After this review, he said, the state can begin figuring out how to adequately fund public education.

In recent years, "we have put more money toward education with some mixed results," Gordon said, adding that he was not "taking aim" at the education system or at teachers. Having served on a school board, he said that he knows "how hard that work is."

Funding and gambling

Baldes said repeatedly, in reference to education and to other topics, the state needs to move away from reliance on federal money. He said the part of the state Constitution that mandates adequate funding for public education needs to be revised.

Livingston suggested that legislators need to better understand what should be prioritized when it comes to education funding. She said Wyoming has good schools, as her family moved from Montana to take advantage of its "better" and "smaller" schools.

Candidates also differed on whether they would support Wyoming building a gaming facility on state-owned land as a way to generate money for schools. A moderator noted this has been suggested in the Legislature's Revenue Committee.

Gordon and Livingston said they didn't support the expansion of gambling in the state.

Gordon said that "I kind of regard gambling as tax on people that have a hard time with math." The governor said he supports gambling continuing to be an issue for local governments.

Baldes said he supported the suggestion. He said it is "hypocritical" for the state to draw elk or big game tags and not support gambling.

Hageman slammed

Following the gubernatorial debate, three candidates for the state's sole U.S. House of Representatives seat took over.

This debate began with criticism of Republican nominee Harriet Hageman, who was absent from the stage after last month declining invitations to debate her opponents. Hageman ousted GOP Rep. Liz Cheney from the race in the state's August primary.

Hageman's campaign did not comment.

The first question posed to U.S. House candidates was what they believed was an appropriate reason not to participate in a "public, statewide debate." Democratic nominee Lynnette GreyBull responded by calling Hageman a "coward" for not showing up.

"Wyoming doesn't need a coward. Wyoming needs a leader, Wyoming needs a voice, Wyoming needs people who are willing to stand up to anybody and anyone," GreyBull said.

The only reason Libertarian Richard Brubaker said he could think of was that Hageman "feels so confident that everybody will vote for the big 'R' that she does not need to communicate with 'We the People.'"

Constitution Party candidate Marissa Selvig said she didn't think it was appropriate to miss such a debate unless there was a family emergency or a health issue, "because informed voters make better choices," and voters should hear from every candidate.

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.