Clerk complaints — Governor receives new complaints against Weston County Clerk

Gov. Mark Gordon on Monday confirmed that his office has received new complaints from Weston County voters alleging additional acts of misconduct by County Clerk Becky Hadlock, less than six months after he declined to remove her from office over errors in the 2024 general election.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, the verified complaints were filed by Weston County residents Karen Drost, Stanley Jasinski, Susan Love and Allen Slagle. The complainants accuse Hadlock of filing a false post-election audit following the 2024 General Election and of refusing to comply with a legislative subpoena issued by the Wyoming Legislature’s Management Audit Committee — both potential violations of state law.

In May, Gordon determined that while Hadlock had made “serious mistakes” during the 2024 election, her actions did not rise to the level of “willful negligence” or “malicious intent,” legal standards required to justify removal from office.

Under Wyoming law, the governor is required to review verified complaints and conduct an investigation before deciding whether to pursue formal removal proceedings. Gordon said his office will examine the new allegations and determine whether they warrant such action.

“Given the very serious nature of the potential consequences, which is the removal of an official duly elected by the voters of Weston County, preserving the objectivity and integrity of this process is crucial,” the governor’s office said in a statement. Gordon said he will not comment further while the investigation is ongoing.

In her complaint, Drost says she had learned of “acts or omissions” that were not considered during Gordon’s first investigation. 

“He has stated that they were not facially included on the previously considered Verified Complaint, including the filing of a false post election audit with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office and Clerk Hadlock’s refusal to comply with a legislative subpoena issued by the Management Audit Committee of the Wyoming Legislature,” her complaint says. 

Drost’s complaint further says that she is now seeking removal of Hadlock for “misconduct and/or malfeasance in office as evidenced by (but not limited to) her additional acts which amount to violations of the law in the furtherance of her duties as Weston County Clerk, willful or otherwise.”

These include the filing of the false post-election audit, refusal to comply with the subpoena and other acts related to administering the 2024 General Election. 

Drost’s complaint notes that, as a qualified elector, she has lost confidence in Hadlock’s ability to fulfill her duties of the office and “fears the detrimental impact of her continuing in office on the efficient functioning of local government, on the trust citizens can place in local government and local government elections, and on the credibility of the clerk’s reported election results and on the clerk’s ability to conduct the 2026 election.” 

The complaint was signed and dated Oct. 20 by not only Drost but also notary public Micole L. Miller. 

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray issued a separate statement Monday urging Gordon to take action, noting that Hadlock previously refused to appear before lawmakers under subpoena during a Sept. 29 hearing regarding her conduct.

“At the September 29 hearing on her conduct, the Weston County Clerk defied a subpoena requesting her to appear before the committee,” Gray said. “On top of that, the hearing discussed Clerk Hadlock’s false post-election audit after the clerk’s original ballot misalignment error was identified. Governor Gordon did not even consider the false post-election audit in his original consideration of the issue.”

Gray said he hopes the governor will now “address the failure to respond to the subpoena and also finally address the false post-election audit in his review of these complaints.”

Hadlock has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.