The “election season” officially kicks off on Tuesday with the state-wide primary election, and citizens are encouraged to exercise their right and civic duty and participate in the selection of their Municipal, County, State, and Federal representatives. Voters can view sample ballots printed in this paper, as well as a list of polling places.



Primary is ‘nominating race’

The primary election is, as Uinta County Clerk Lynne Fox described it, “a nominating race.”

“It is where fields of candidates are narrowed to represent the political parties in the general election,” she said.

As such, voters will not vote for president at this time, and will only see on their ballots the candidates in the political party with which they are affiliated.

If a voter is undeclared or independent, he or she will only vote for municipal positions on Tuesday. However, party affiliation can be changed the day of the election. An undeclared voter can thus declare a party in order to be part of the candidate selection. If they wish to change back or switch parties later, it can be done at the County Clerk’s office.

The municipal race is non-partisan so candidates running for city council will appear on every ballot (with the exception of those living outside of city limits). Though non-partisan, it is still the case that the primary election will narrow the field of City Council candidates to two per ward, which will then be voted upon in the general election in November.

Wyoming is unique, in that voters can register or change party affiliation on the day of the election. New voters can register for the first time on Tuesday at their appropriate polling places.

If the voter has a Wyoming driver’s license, it is all that is needed in order to register.

However, if the new voter does not have a Wyoming driver’s license, then some other form of picture ID is required, as well as a social security number.

Changes to name, or address or party affiliation can also be made at the polling places, Fox said.



Finding the correct polling place

It is very important that voters cast their ballot in their correct precinct, stressed Fox, and it may not be the location closest to a voter’s home.

Polling places are determined by address, and in addition to the list of polling places, additional help in finding the correct polling location can be found on the County’s website: uintacounty.com, where a “polling place locator” link is found near the bottom of the home page.

Voters can click on that link and after entering their address the correct polling place is displayed, with the option of seeing a map and getting driving directions, as well.



Information about candidates

Many of the candidates that appear on the ballots, particularly those running for federal offices (U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives) have their own websites, which voters can visit to find information about them and their views on important issues.

In addition, websites such as projectvotesmart.org can also be helpful in tracking issue positions and voting records of candidates for State Senate and House positions.

There are many who feel that local governing bodies are the most important, where the most effective, truly democratic and influential changes and choices can be made.

With that in mind, the Herald attempted to contact candidates running for county and city positions to get their views and statements about issues so that citizens could be informed and prepared to vote on Tuesday.