Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

Whew! We can all safely open up our newspapers, turn on our television sets and our radios again and not be bombarded by negative campaigning from candidates ... at least for a few weeks before campaigning for the general election gets into full swing.

It was disappointing to see so much negativity in several campaigns this year. I always believed Wyoming was better than that; but this year was not the first time that campaigning has taken an ugly turn. It has happened before. It is just unfortunate.

As a voter I want to hear what a candidate will do and why he/she is qualified for the position. I don't want to hear a candidate's opinion on what they think their opponent has done or has not done.

I do not want outside organizations telling me who to vote for or who not to vote for or what they alleged to believe about a candidate.

Unfortunately, things are about as ugly after the election as during the election. After an election, or any competition really, you find out who can be gracious in winning and who can be gracious in losing, and none more so than a few governor candidates this year.

I suppose this is going to be par for course after the 2016 presidential election and everyone's overreaction to President Donald Trump's victory; as well as their unwillingness to accept the results. The protests and investigations that are still ongoing because people still do not understand why President Trump won, because people still cannot believe that social/moral issues do not matter to most voters but jobs, economy and health care do matter.

We have let people whine and cry and say "not my president" or "resist" for nearly two years now, so I'm guessing with the whining that has already started regarding the Republican nomination for governor we will have #notmygovernor before too long, but I hope not.

Now for the the issue of party switching. People have for years and will continue to change party affiliation in Wyoming because the primary election for the most part is the only election that matters in Wyoming. The majority of the races are over. Let's look at our county races - no other party candidates but Republicans; how about in Big Horn County, 12 Republican candidates but not one Democrat, that race has been decided; in Hot Springs County two major races - for sheriff and clerk - were decided in the primary. The only race left undecided with a lone Democrat hoping to unseat one of the two Republicans on the ticket for commissioner.

The law does not need changed despite what governor candidates Foster Friess and Harriet Hageman believe. The law that allows people to switch party affiliation on the day of election is a good law for Wyoming. I have done it many times. I started while living in Big Horn County, during mid-term elections I registered as Republican in order to have a say in local and state politics and would switch to unaffiliated before or on general election day. I will be doing the same here in Washakie County.

It is not to sway an election for one candidate or another, but for me as a voter to have my say, for my vote to count.

Another thing I took away from this election, was not disappointment, but pride in how the local elections were run. Results came in quickly and efficiently with no reports of any problems. There are a lot of people who work to ensure we have the ability to exercise our right to vote including the 40 election judges in Washakie County.

And, finally, I took pride in being able to cast my votes Tuesday and I feel blessed to live in a country where anyone (who meets the requirements) can seek office, and everyone (meeting certain requirements) has a right to vote. And that, even if there is whining, the votes stand and the voice of the people is heard.

People will again have a chance to have their voice heard in the general election with statewide races, more of a full slate of council candidates, special district candidates including school board, and the all-important continuation of the one-cent sales tax to be voted on.

If you were unable to vote Tuesday you can exercise your constitutional right to vote on Nov. 6. I hope you do.