Several races to be decided at Tuesday's election

Next Tuesday voters around Wyoming will go to the polls to cast votes to decide party nominations for county and federal races and narrow the candidate pool of municipal nonpartisan races.

Voters Tuesday in Wyoming will not be casting a ballot for presidential party nomination as Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance have already been officially nominated at last month’s Republican National Convention for that party’s president and vice president.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz should receive the Democratic official nomination for president and vice president at that party’s national convention next week.

According to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website, “During a presidential election year, voters will not see names of presidential candidates on their Primary Election ballot. Because Wyoming is a caucus/convention state, the recognized political parties in the state certify their nominees for president to [the Secretary of State’s] office following their national conventions. Candidates for U.S. President, nominated by their national party conventions, and independent candidates will only appear on the Wyoming General

Election ballot.”

CANDIDATES

So who will voters in Washakie County be voting for?

City of Worland: There are three candidates for mayor — Jim Gill, Rebecca George and Bruce Nolting. With municipal races being nonpartisan the top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 5 General Election.

Currently there is only one contested city council seat in Ward 3. There is one four-year seat up with incumbent William Worley seeking reelection and Tony Wartman also seeking the seat. Both should advance to the General Election after Tuesday’s primary.

In Ward 2. There are three seats open, two four-year seats and a two-year seat. Incumbent Wendy Fredricks is the lone candidate for a four-year seat.

There are no candidates on the ballot for the four-year seat in Ward 1 although Bill Glanz has officially announced this week that he is seeking a write-in nomination and will accept.

“I saw no one was running. I have the time so I figured I could volunteer,” Glanz said Monday.

He has been a Washakie County resident since 1954, farming and ranching for most of his life south of Worland.

“I just want to participate and help make decisions that meet the demands of the citizens,” Glanz said. He added that he has experience with government, having served as a county commissioners for 16 years.

WRITE-IN NOMINATIONS

Per Wyoming statute only three votes are required to become an eligible write-in nomination. A nominee must meet the regular requirements for the office and then must fill out the application and pay the filing fee before the nominee accepts the nomination.

Partisan races, such as commissioner or legislators, require at least 25 write-in votes.

Per statute, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, “For write-in votes, names which are misspelled or abbreviated or the use of nicknames of candidates shall be counted for the candidate if the vote is obvious to the canvassing board.”

The Canvassing Board need only count write-in votes by candidate if the total vote for write-in candidates may affect the result of an election. For offices elected from districts involving more than one county, the Secretary of State shall direct the county clerks to count write-in votes by candidate if on the basis of unofficial returns it appears the total write-in votes may affect the result of an election.

COUNTY

Current County Commissioner Chairman Aaron Anderson is seeking another term and the Republican nomination. He is challenged by former county maintenance supervisor Tom Schmeltzer.

No Democrat has filed.

There will also be party precinct committeemen and women to vote for in this year’s primary.

STATE

Both Senate District 20 seat and House District 27 seat are open this year. State Senate years are four-year terms with the even numbered districts in the state up this year. State House seats are for two-years.

Ed Cooper of Ten Sleep is challenged for the Republican nomination to SD20 by Tom Olmstead of Basin. The district encompasses all of Washakie County, Hot Springs County and portions of Park, Big Horn and Fremont counties.

No Democrat is on the ballot.

Martha Lawley of Worland is seeking a second term and the Republican nomination for HD27. She is challenged by fellow Worland resident Tami Young.

No Democrat has filed.

FEDERAL

One of Wyoming’s U.S. Senate seats is up this year, with incumbent John Barrasso seeking the Republican nomination, challenged by Reid Rasner and John Holtz.

One Democrat is unchallenged for that party’s nomination — Scott Morrow.

For Wyoming’s lone House seat that is up every two years, Harriet Hageman is seeking a second term and the Republican nomination. She is challenged by Steven Helling.

Kyle Cameron is the lone Democratic candidate.

VOTING REQUIREMENTS

Polls will open at 7 a.m. at the Worland Community Center Complex and Ten Sleep Senior Center/Community Center and close at 7 p.m.

Washakie County Clerk Lily Rakness Parra reminds candidates and voters that per state statute, electioneering too close to a polling place or absentee polling place when voting is being conducted is prohibited. This can include any form of campaigning, including the display of campaign signs or distribution of campaign literature, the soliciting of signatures to any petition or the canvassing or polling of voters, except exit polling by news media, within 100 yards on the day of a primary, general or special election and within 100 feet on all other days, of any public entrance to the building in which the polling place is located. This section shall not apply to bumper stickers affixed to a vehicle while parked within or passing through the distance specified in this subsection, provided that “There is only one bumper sticker per candidate affixed to the vehicle; bumper stickers are no larger than four inches high by 16 inches long; and the vehicle is parked within the distance specified in this subsection only during the time the elector is voting.

Rakness Parra said this also includes jewelry, T-shirts, campaign buttons and other accessories.

Rakness Parra reminds voters that the new state statute that went into effect for the 2022 elections is still in effect, requiring an ID to vote.

“We have to know who they are as a person,” Rakness Parra said. She added that if someone does not have an ID they can get an ID for voting persons at the driver’s license office. There is no fee.

Acceptable IDs include: Wyoming driver’s license or ID Card; tribal ID Card; valid US Passport; US military card; driver’s license or ID Card from another state; University of Wyoming student ID; Wyoming community college student ID; Wyoming public school student ID; Valid Wyoming Concealed Firearm Permit; Valid Medicare Insurance Card; valid Medicaid Insurance Card.

First-time voters or voters who have been dropped off the registration rolls may register to vote at the polls. Any registered voter who did not vote in the 2022 general election has been dropped from the rolls and needs to register again.

Voters may not change their party affiliation, under a new state statute that prohibits changing party affiliation after May 15 of this year (or the day prior to filing beginning for the primary election).

GETTING READY

The Washakie County Clerk’s Office has been busy getting ready for the election including testing the tabulation machines (see related story), training election judges and answering questions and public records requests.

Rakness Parra said she has eight election judges per precinct and training was conducted on Monday. There are also election judges at the registration table and express voting and the counting board that will handle the absentee ballots.

As of last Thursday there were 208 absentee ballots requested with 116 returned. Absentee ballots in Wyoming have to be returned by election day, Aug. 20.

Rakness Parra said traditionally in presidential election years there are more voters for the General Election than the Primary Election. In 2020 there were 2,350 votes cast in the primary election, compared to 3,061 in the general election.