Months of debate and campaigning will come to a head today (Tuesday), with the arrival of Wyoming’s primary election.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This year, the action in Park County is again centered around the Republican primary, as that’s where nearly all of the contested races are taking place.

Six Republicans are vying for two spots on the Park County Commission with six contested races for the Wyoming Legislature.

More conservative and more moderate factions of the GOP have been fighting for control of the state House and Senate, and Tuesday’s election will likely settle the battle for the next two years. The 12 Republican candidates running to represent portions of the county have directly received roughly $225,000, while outside groups — including some from out of state — have spent even more on mailers and other tactics.

Technically, the Republicans who win on Tuesday are only winning the right to appear on the general election ballot. But with no Democrats running for any of Park County’s partisan offices and no independent or third party candidates in sight, the Republican winners are poised to cruise to victory in November. 

The primary will also serve as a kind of poll for a number of nonpartisan municipal races, including the Powell and Cody city councils and mayor’s seats.

While residents had the ability to vote early at the Park County Courthouse over the past 28 days — 1,545 had done so as of late Monday afternoon — voters must go to their polling place on Election Day.

For Powell area residents, that means heading to Heart Mountain Hall at the Park County Fairgrounds. In a change from past years, the hall is also now the place to go for Garland and Frannie area residents who used to cast their ballots at the Garland Community Church of God; the church is no longer being used as a polling place because the building was put up for sale.

Meanwhile, Ralston and Heart Mountain area residents should cast their ballots at the Heart Mountain Clubhouse (1001 Road 18/Wyo. Highway 294), Clark residents head to the Clark Pioneer Recreation Center, City of Cody residents head to the Cody Auditorium, rural Cody residents — including those in Crandall — go to the Paul Stock Aquatic and Recreation Center, South Fork residents to the South Fork Fire Hall (3 Road 6NQ), those living in Wapiti and on the North Fork go to the Wapiti Elementary School and Meeteetse area residents go to the Meeteetse Recreation Center.

The Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office hosts a polling place locator at myelectionday.sos.wyo.gov or Park County residents can call the elections office at 307-527-8620.

Local residents who aren’t registered to vote can do so at their polling place. However, whether registering to vote or just casting a ballot, residents need to show their ID, such as a Wyoming driver’s license or ID card.

For more information, visit parkcounty-wy.gov/county-elections.

Fueled in part by a highly watched race between Congressional contenders then-U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and then-challenger/now-U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), Park County saw a record-breaking turnout of 12,366 voters during the 2022 primary election. However, turnout in the primary is typically lower in the presidential election years. For example, only about 8,800 people — or 38% of the adult population — participated in the 2020 primary.

The Tribune will provide live coverage of Park County’s election results on powelltribune.com and X (formerly Twitter), starting shortly after 7 p.m.